Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1874-02-09

| THE SIAMEsE TwINs-At the present time,
| when the public mind Is engrossed to q certain
| extent In the peculiar manner Of the death OF
the Samese twins, the following unpub lished In
| cidents OF their mode of living aud genera
characteristics will prove interesting.
| Much speculation has always been rife as to
how the twins courted and finally became Join
ed in the bonds of Hymen. 1t happened that
| they were travelling through the South, aud
stopped at the town of trapbill, In Wilkes co :,
North Carolina. The country In this locality
being very romantic, and the land good, the
twins determined TO settle, aud accordingly en-
gagged in business in the village, being excellent
traders, and their novel condition soon attrac-
ted many persons TO them; among these far
mer named Yates, who lived In the immediate
vicinity, and who was possessed of two bounc-
ing daughters. Chang and Eng looked upon
these women tendeily, and evinced great affec-
tion for them, and, like ordinery young folks,
made numerous calls at the residence of their
bewitchers, and there being pair OF them all
around match was soon made, and the four
were two Cor one). These wives always dis
played great affection for their liege lords, and
manifested the usual jealOuses common to the
human family. From this double union there
We're some twenty-five children born. Mrs.
Chang presented her husband with some nine
!, or ten, aud Of these but two were boys, while
in the Eng family the daughters were proper
tionatey outDumbered. The offspring, con-
= trary To the general opinion and preceding state
l
) bust children. Great difficulties arose when
the time for comforting names upon the young
Changs and Eugs came. Here was dilemma.
They could not all take their paternal and ma
ternal relatives titles, and they bad no Chris
tiau names.
S The difficulty was suimounted, however, and
the appellations OF Christopher Columbus, Pat
3 rick Henry, Stephen Decatur, Nancy Bunker,
4 aud names Of a like sort were gwen to the re-
tinue of little ones. The fathers seemed anxi-
al..t. ..
= be we'll educated, and purchased a house in the
= town OF Mount Airy, shortly after their removal
: | W that place, where the children lived aud at
tended the school in the district. They were
/, all apt scholars, and seemed to inherit a large
amount OF natural acuteness from their fathers.
The twins were excellent farmers, and sup
o erntended all the work upon their plantations.
/. They could hoe and plough, and were very dex-
$ terous in using the axe. They built several log
r cabins themselves, and could put up the corner
t., OF a two-story house as quickly any other
y two men As traders, especially In live stock,
they won quite a reputation. They were houest
& to penny, would hot take the least advantage
ID Of any one, and reposed the same confidence In
every one else, but unfortunately frequently
N came to grief. In making bargain they would
se OBTAIN all the points in the and then with
IN draw, and under the plea that two heads were
better than one, consult with each other as to
the best course TO pursue.
ed Stories have always been in circulation re-
:, e. gardiug the supposed fabulous wealth of the
twins. From their numerous trips abroad, an6
II exhibitions,it is true they amassed considerable,
money, but when the war broke out, they be
st ing very large shareholders, of course their pro
10 perty in that direction was swept away. They
also hadJarge amoupts in the State banks, ant
=" as these institutions evaporaed they we're fur
dc ther reduced in circumstances. Then they
were induced to invest i'll State tf North Calo
u, lima bonds which We're considered safe In
vestment, and when the war closed there wa
ou nvt much left to the unfo. tunale Siamese bu
lc' the plantations upon which they resided at th
-, time OF their death.
Their political creed, previous to the rebt
at lion, was of the Old-line Wing party, aud thei
votes were regularly deposited at each election
, Since they both belonged TO the same party, n
an political differences ever arose between them-
Although their homes; "s; ~fTa IN s Is y Snpah NJ .s
~ ~ mencement of the rebellion had no alternatiy
IA | left them but 10 take sides with the land
In their adoption or leave tho country. The
or. they declared for the tonfcdelacy, and two
ha their sons went into the rebel army, aud fougl
III. bravely, IT unwjsely. Trouble however, su
ha rounded the twins. When Stonemans cavalI
he came through that country, and called for r,
ad cruts, draft Was made into the magic whe,
at went the names OF Chang and Eng. But on
ot name came out.
,on The gallant commander was non-plussed. =
,tv | Ore must go, but the other would not.
,La dare not lake them both. So he resigned clai
md Of either OF them, aud thus they escaped actu
mi servIcs.
ns Chang's illness first became marked abo
Ice the year 1861, when he commenced TO suif
Viii Drohchhis, anu t"e uisease gradually Works
down, ending in supposed Inflammation of q
,,o- lungs. He never apprehended death-the i'd
' of dying never seemed TO occur 10 him. Wi
our Eug, who was always healthy, the W
rine i different. He would oftentmes remark, I'VE
har We can't live long, and would become despo
on dent. The last named, when lemarking upl
noa the expected demise of sither himself or brot
hsv er, would use the plural 'we." Chang, fro
YER his semi paraiyzed condition, WAS genera
~ very morose and irritable, and occasioned /
Mo brother considerable trouble. One day tn
the came into DIR. Holliugsworths office, and L
lux demanded the DR.. sever them at all lid zaI
nail saying that his brother had become so disagr'
able that he would not live with him any Ii
irst- GER OF course the Doctor refused TO do til
D., and after long time spent i'll attempting to
oue cOncile them, they were induced to go home
They never again made such application,
las as though it is known that disputes frequen
"a as | arose between them, III which knives w
tock drawn, and they threatened TO kill each 9th
Regarding the scientific interest Of the ca
"' and the value Of post-inortem examinaiit
md a the public at large well Informed. No
rangements have as yet been entered into
,I an the cousumalon of this project. AT this po
il is well estate that il was a fact not gener
r at ly known that il one couGhed 1t produce
IT belnial prOliusion on the side OF the other.
DE There are grave doubts as To whether .
If wills were left by the deceased. Mr.. X. s.
DIS. mer, the business agent Of the twins, was
aware of such documents, aud the twins W
ia. alsD in doubt in this respect, although 1t '
r It- known at one Time tnat they GREW up tsstaih
tary letters, and named their respective wi
Is fol- | as executives. These Were afterwards destr
. of | cd IL was sunpDsed, Recent deyelopme
'r.s however, lead 10 the belief that they seer
.on, had wills drawn up by a sun Of Mr. CLINE
otho young lawyer Of Mount Airy, and that the
nesses 10 the signing were sworn To seeiec!
and A few days will bring TO light this fact, an
Sec will then be known whether there are any
sno sn visions forbidding an examination of the
a lib dies being made.
of SUI
ere In w
re for