The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-08-25
From the pelaware (Ohio) 0azette.

From the Delaware (Ohio) Gazette,
Knowing that your numerous readers
will be anxious to hear something in
regard to the wonderful double child's
death, send you the following hasty
and imperfect statements:
Their death presented strange APP
pearance, and excited the curiosity and
pity of all present. They were nine
months and six days old, and died at
Temple House, No. 6 Bowdoin street,
Boston, Mass, July Is, 1871. They had
already enjoyed excellent health from
their birth until July 4, when on exhi-
bition at Newark, n. j., Nina showed
symptoms of illness, and had a severe
attack of cholora infantum, and came
near death to all appearances, and re-
manned so about three days, when she
commenced recovering rapidly. This
sickness seemed to affect Minnie but
very little at the time, but about the
18th inst. Minnie was attacked with
continual vomiting, which was very
difficult to manage, and this tendency
Of sickness at the stomach continued
more or less until about o'clock in the
morning of the 18th, when she had sew
eral slight commissions, after which she
gradually sank until 4:35 in the even
ing, when she breathed her last, and the
heart belonging to her stopped beating.
She was dead, to all appearance, with
out struggle, and looked as if sleeping
pleasantly, in which condition she re-
manned for one hour and forty-five min
utes, when she commenced gasping for
BREATH and artificial means We're resort
ed to to restore respiration. This gasp
ing continued at short intervals until
7:l5, when she gave the last gasp.
After this, Nina, who had been per-
fectly well to all appearance, until Min
ME stopped breathing, showed signs OF
uneasiness and continued sinking very
rapidly, and died at Sis, lust one hour
from the time that Minnie gave the
last gasp for breath. They both died
very easy, and looked as if going into a
pleasant sleep, and never gave strug-
gle, and now they are quiet and lovely
to look upon in death, as they always
were in life. The two souls have passed
from the one body to the God that gave
them this truly wonderful and curious
body.
They apparently escaped the ordinary
differing incident to death, for the
countenanc had the expression of
sweet repose. Through the influence of
myself and several Of the leading ply
sicians of Boston we had fine plaster
cast taken of the child, which | can
have duplicated at any time for the
benefit of science. After this we had
post mortem examination, which re-
vealed many wonderful curiosities, both
in anatomy and physiology, a full ac-
count of which will be shortly given
in the Boston Medical and .Surgicm Jour-
nal.
The exciting cause of their death was
cystic abdominal tumor, weighing
three pounds and six ounces. may, at
some future time, give you a more de
tailed account of this wonderful be-
ing's life as we'll as its death. Yours
very respectfully.
Il. BEssE, NJ. D.
The Delaware Gazette says editori-
ally:
DR.. Besse reached his home in this
place on Saturday evening last. The
post -mortem examination, at which he
assisted, developed the fact that the
connection of the visceration in the two
bodies-if we may SO speak of the two
opposite sections or ends of the child
takes place by interjunction of the in
testines just above the colon, which or
gan is not duplicated but is common for
both infants. There was also but one
womb and one bladder, the latter being
the receptacle of two different ureters.
Above the colon all the organs were du-
plicated and perfect as in any well-de-
veloped human being.
The body Of the child, or children,
was carefully embalmed and put into a
casket containing alcohol, and having
glass facings, ,Shich afford good view
of the body, which is well preserved. In
the casket the child looks natural and
appears as if in repose. 1t has been
brought by the parents to their home
near Ashley, where it yet remains. The
Boston Medical Society offered six thou
sand dollars for it, but the offer has
been declined Probably not less than
ten thousand dollars would induce the
parents to part with the treasure.