Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1874-01-29
TWINS.
Al Death.---En
IGOu!s after the
lane.


ohmond says a dispatch from
,Sboro', N. G., gives the announce
nle6t Of the sudden death of the Siamese
twins on Saturday morning last, at their
residence, at Mount Airy, Surry county,
N. G. There are no details, further than
the fact that Chang was paralyzed last
fall, since which time he has been fretful,
very much debilitated, and strongly ad-
dicted to drinking liquor as a means OF
alternating his suffering. He had been
quite feeble for several Gays-indeed, so
much so as to confne both brothers to
their bed, but his illness was not 80 great
as to cause any anticipation of the catas-
trophe that was to follow.
On Friday night they retired to bed as
usual, but during the night Chang be>
camc worse, and expired suddenly about
4 o'clock Saturday morning As soon as
it was discovered he was dead, Eng be-
came SO terribly shocked that he raved
wildly, and for a while at times exhibits
ing signs Of great mental alteration.
This attack was followed by what seemed
to be a deadly stuper. In two hours, it is
supposed, from the death of Chang, Eng
breathed his last.
SKETCH or THE sIAMEsE.
The Siamese twins, Eng and Chang,
lately residing in North Carolina, were
afflicted with illness in the year 1871.
They were born at a small village on the
coast of Siam, 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 shellfsh. Their
mother bore seventeen children. At one
time she gave birth to three, and never
less than two. But none of these children
were deformed. The twins were united
at the anterior part of the chest by a pros
longation of a kind of aeshy band the
size of the hand. This band of flesh is
about two inches broad and four inches
thick. The whole mass is tough and ca
pablo of being considerably extended.
One could whisper in the ear of one of
them without the other hearing; while
volatile salts applied to the nostrils Of one
had no effect on the other, and while
pinching the arm of one excited no sensa>
ton in the other, still if you but stick a
pin in the exact vertical centre of this
connecting link both would finch from
the hurt. The twins were seldom observ,
ed to converse with each other. They
played q good game of drafts, made pref
ty much the same moves, and at the same
Alter attracting a. Nati aahoaMt Of h at,
tention among scientists and Psychologists
in the Old World, they married two sis,
tiers, and settled down near Salisbury, N.
O., on a well stocked plantation, In ad>
dition, they had at one period ample funds
invested through their agent in New York.
During the war they continued to reside
on their plantation, and lived in the same
quiet and harmony as ever until a few
years ~afterward. OF course, no one ever
thought of drafting them, and their ne>
groes pr0spered. except when out of tens
per from any cause, it was apt to work
itself off in striking the first one that came
to hand, from which the best escape was
to keep out OF the way. The brothers
probably never would have had any difi>
Guilty but that their wives, though sisters,
turned away their hearts, and children
were the cause of this estrangement. Up
to the period that each had five children
all ~prospered we'll enough, but n of
them had a sixth, and this awoke envy
and jealousy to such a degree that
the twin sisters, not being bound to-
gether like the twin brothers, would no
longer live under the same roof. The
brothers were, it seems, about ffty>four
years of age, but one, we believe the
smaller, and fcebler of tho 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-
markable bond that united them perm
ted. 1t is almost certain that should ei>
Their di, the other could not survive, even
more than a few minutes, as there is an
artery as large as the femoral artery that
connects them. A few years since they
corrosponded with some of the leading
surgical operators in London, as to the
possibility of the umbilicus being cut, SO
that in case Of the death of one the life
of the other might be saved. AT the re>
quest 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 liga>
ture was tied firmly for a few minutes