The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-01-27
Death Of the sIamese Twins.

The Siamese twins died on the 18th inst,
at Mt. Airy, N. @. Chang was partially
paralyzed last fall, since which time he has
been fretful, very much debilitated and
strongly addicted TO drinking liquor as a
means of alleviating his suffering. He has
been quite feeble for several days-indeed,
so much SO as to conflne both the brothers
to bed, but the illness was not 80 great as
to cause any anticipation of the catastrophe
that was to follow.
On Friday night they retired to bed as
usual, but during the night Chang became
worse, and, to the utter dismay of all his
friends, expired suddenly about four o'clock
on Saturday morning. AS soon as it was
discovered that his spirit had left its earth
ly tenement, and that death had claimed
him for it's own, Eng became so terribly
shocked that he raved wildly for while,
at times exhibiting signs of mental aberra-
ton.
This attack was followed with what
seemed to be a deadly stupor, and all now
eagerly watched the fate of the surviving
twin, SO long and inseparaby united to his
now dead brother. In two hours it is sup
posed, from the death of Chang, Eng
breathed his last. The wives and families
of the twins are in deepest grief, the chill
den, many of whom are deaf mutes, ex-
pressing their sorrow and bereavement in
the most pitiful manner.
The Siamese twins, Eng and Chang,
were born at a small village on the coast of
Siam, in the year 1911. Their parents got
their living by fishing, and until 1889, when
Eng and Chang were brought to the United
States, they made their living by selling
shellflsh. 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 the prolongatiOn of kind of a
fleshy band the size of the hand. This
band of flesh is about two inches broad
and four inches thick.
After attracting vast amount Of atten-
ton among scientists and psychologists in
the old world, they married two sisters,
and settled down near Salisbury, N c., on
a plantation. In addition they had at one
period ample funds invested through their
agent in New York. Up to the period that
each had five children all prospered well
enough, but one of them had the sixth, and
this awoke envy and jealousy to such a
degree that the twin sisters, not being
bound together like the twin brothers,
would no longer live under the same roof
The brothers, werei seems, about sixty
three years of age, but one, we believe, the
smaller and feebler 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 was as far as the re-
markable bond that united them permitted.
A few years since they correspondcd with
some of the leading surgical operators in
London, as to the possibility of the umbili-
Gus being cut, so that in the case of the
death of one, the life of the other might be
saved. At the request of the London sur
BCOh JhOy NisiJbu LudI CltyJ anu MANY eA-
periments were tried to determine the safety
Of such an operation.
Among other things ligature was tied
firmly for few minutes around the con-
nection between them, SO as to prevent the
circulation of blood through the artery.
But it seemed 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
affect would follow to the other, but the
process could not be continued long enough
without endangering the life of him who
was first to faint Since the breaking out
Of the rebellion the twins both dressed in
the Confederate gray, and were both men,
bers Of the same church, having united
themselves with small Baptist church in
their neighborhood, of which they were
considered very worthy members.
PIavioO Preacher