Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-02-05
The Siamese Twins.

frmed. They died at the home of
one of the twins near Mount Airy, N.
c., Jan. 18th The accounts state
that, of late years, owing originally to
an arrangement between the wives,
arising out Of some partiality shown
to one over the other in matters Of
dress and jewelry, they have kept up
separate establishments, or farms, two
miles apart 1t was their unvarying
custom to spend three days and a half
of each week in each house. So I'M
alterable was this custom that the
funeral of son on one occasion and
the wedding of daughter on another
could not be attended by them because
the ceremony was not at the right
house. Thursday, Jan. Is, was the
day for Chang to visit Eng's house.
The former was the weaker Of the
two, having been paralyzed three
years before on the right side, and
ever since suffering from chronic
pneumonia On this night the ex
IRENE cold, the rough road, and ali
open carriage, caused Chang severe
attack of his affection of the throat,
and he sent word to his wife next day
that, though better, he thought he
would have died that night. On Fri
day night the twins slept in the Sc
cond story Of the house, having no
one in the room but little negro,
who said they got up after midnight
and sat around the fire. Chang COM
planning very much of his throat.
Eng wanted to 90 back to bed, but
Chang said it hurt his breast too much
to lie down. However, they did soon
atterward 90 to bed, and nothing
more was heard till, toward daybreak,
Eng was heard crying out for his son
William, who slept in an upper room.
When the family was aroused, after
repeated callings from Eng, they
found Chang dead, and Eng with the
cold perspiration starting out from
his face, pallid, and complaining of
excessive cold in his feet, and asking
them to pull and rub them. How
ever, in about u hours after the
alarm, Eng expired, all the symptoms
of death being present. During the
interval they had sent for Dr. Holdings
worth, five miles away in the village
of Mount Airy, but before he could
arrive death had come to both. The
wife of Eng said that he was as
hearty as ever he had been the night
before, having eaten a substantial
supper, ard was in no wise apparently
affected by his brothers indisposition.
After the doctor arrived he found
them both dead and observed no diff
ference in their condition from that of
ordinary corpses.
DR.. Holingsworth at once took
measures for the preservation of the
bodies until the consent of the fami-
lies of the deceased could be obtained
to a post mortem examination, and
until medical men could have an OPP
portunity to consult. Some members
of the family were strongly opposed
to any post-mortem examination, and
they wished also to hear from sons Of
the deceased, one of whom is in Cali
fornia and two or three in Missouri
The doctor dissuaded them from bury
ing the bodies in a neighboring
church yard and obtained their con-
sent that the bodies should be preser.
we'd in ice until he could communicate
with other scientific men in regard to
the matter. He came on Immediately
to Philadelphia to consult with emf
nent physicians, and it is hoped that
there will be no obstacle to an inyesti-
cation of the mystery Of their lives,
precisely what was the nature of the
link that bound them.
Eng and Chang were born in Siam
in 1911, and left there in 1929 After
attracting great attention in Europe
and America they settled down in
North Carolina, about 40 miles from
Salisbury, and kept store few years.
They then moved to near Mt. Airy.
and have lived there as farmers for %
years, Owning a large number Of
slaves, they were wealthy, but since
the war have become reduced to mod
crate circumstances. They had s
slight dialect showing foreign birth
but could not talk their mother
tongue, having forgotten it. They
said to the doctor that they had in
tended in 1861, but for "this unfor