Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-01-29
The Siamese Twins
From the New York Herald. ]

From the New York Herald
The Siamese Twins, Eng aud
Chang, lately deceased in North
Carolina, were afflicted with illness
in the year 1871. They were born
at d small village on toe coast Of ST.
am, in the year 1911 Their parents
got their living by fishing, and until
1929, when Eng and Chang were
brought to the United States, they
made their living by selling shellfish
Their mother bore seventeen chill
dren. At one time she gave birth to
three, and never less than two. But
none of these children were defOrm-
ed The twins were united at the
anterior part of the chest by pro-
longation of kind OF flesh band the
size of the band. This band of flesh
is about two inches broad and tour
inches thick. The whole mass is
tough and capable of being coDsidera-
bly, extended. One could whisper IN
the ear of one of them without the
other hearing, while volatile salts
applied to the n0strlls Of one had no
effect on the other and while pinch
Jog the arm of one excited no sensa-
ton in the other, still if you but
stick pin in the exact vertic, CEN
ire Of their connecting link both
would finch from the hurt. The
| twins were seldom observed to con-
verse with each other. They played
O good game Of draughts, made
pretty much The same moves, and at
the same time, and frequently played
againsteach other
After attracting vast amount OF
attention among scientists and phys
biologists in the old world, they mar
ried two sisters, and settled down
near Salisbury, n. c., on a well,
stocked plantation. In addition
they had al one period ample funds
invested through their agent in New
York. During the war, they contin.
ued to reside on their plantation,
and lived in the same quiet and bar
mony as ever, until some few years
afterwards. Of course no one ever
thought of drafting them, and their
negroes prospered, except when out
of temper from any cause, 1t was apt
to work itself off in striking the first
one that anne to hand, from which
the best escape was to keep out OF
the way. The brothers probably
never would have had any difficulty,
but that their wives, though sisters,
turned away their hearts, and chill
dren were the cause Of this estrange-
ment. Up to the period that each
had five children, all prospered well
enough, but one Of them had a sixth,
and this awoke envy and jealousy to
such q degree that the twin sisters,
not being bound together like the
twin brothers, would no longer live
under the same roof. The brothers
were it seems, about 81 years Of age,
but one, we believe. the teebIer
Of the two, looked. it is said, ten
years older than the other. They
could turn either back to back or
face to face, but that is as far as the re-
markabe bond that united them per-
mitted. Il was almost certain that,
should either die, The other could
not survive even more than few
minutes, as there is an artery that
connects them. A few years since
they correspondent with some of the
leading surgical operators il Lon.
don, as to the possibility OF the um.
bilious being cut, so that in case of
the death of one the lite OF the other
might be saved, At the request Of
the London surgeon they visited
that city, and many experiments
were tried to determine the safety
of such an operation. Among other
things, q ligature was tied firmly for
few minutes around the connection
between them, so as to prevent the
circulation Of blood through the ar.
terry. But it seems as if each would
expire if this were persisted in. The
smaller of the two tainted away and
lost all consciousness, and there were
symptoms that the same effect would
follow to the other, but the process
coud not be continued long enough
without endangering the life of him
who was the first to faint. Since the
breaking out OF the rebellion the
twins both dressed in the Confoder.
ate gray, and were both members of
the same church, having united with
a small Babtist Church in their
neighborhood, of which they were
considered very worthy members
though born Siamese