Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-04-13
THE ESE TWINS.


of the habits of the Siamese twins. 1t
was written several years ago.
do not wish to write Of the personal
habits of these strange creatures solely,
but also of certain curious details of va
rious kinds concerning them, which be-
longing to their private life, have never
crept into print. Knowing the twins in
timately, | feel that lam peculiarly well
qualified for the task | have taken upon
myself
The Siamese twins are naturally ten
der and affeetionate in disposition, and
have clung together with singular fdeli
ty throughout long and eventful life.
Even as children they were inseparable
companions and it is noticed that they
always seemed to prefer each others So
ciety to that of any other person. They
nearly always played together and, SO
accustomed was their mother to these
peuuliarities, that whenever both of
them chanced to be lost she usually
hunted for one of them, satisfied that
when she found that one she would find
his brother somewhere in the immediate
neighborhood. And yet these creatures
were ignorant and unlettered- barbara
ans themselves and the ofsprings of bar
barians who knew not the light of phil
osophy and science. What whitening
rebuke is this to our boasted civilization.
with its quarrelings, its wrangling and
its separation of brothers.
AS men, the twins have not always
lived in perfect accord but still there
has always been bond between them
which made them unwilling to go away
from each other to dwell. They have
even occupied the same house, as a gen
eral thing. and it is believed that they
have never failed to even sleep together
on any night since they were born. How
surely do the habits of a lifetime become
second nature to US The twins always
90 to bed at the same time, but Chang
usually gets up an hour before his broth
er. By an understanding between them
Chang does all the indoor work, and
Eng runs all the errands This is be-
cause Eng likes to 60 out Chang's hab-
it's are sedentary. However, Chang al
ways goes along. Eng is a Baptist, but
Chang is Roman Catholic still, to
please his brother, Chang consented to
be baptized at the same time that Eng
was, on condition that it should not
count" During the war they were
strong partisans and fought calamity all
through the great struggle-Eng on the
Union side, and Chang on the Confeder.
ate. They took each other prisoners al
Seven Oaks but the proofs of capture
were SO evenly balanced in favor of eacl
that a general army court had to be as
sembled to determine which one wa!
properly the captor and which the cap
tive. The jury was unable to agree fo
long time. but the vexed question wa
finally decided by agreeing to censide
them both prisoners and then exchang
them. At one time Chang was convict
ed of disobcdience of orders and sentenc
ed to ten days in the guard house, bu
Eng. in spite of all arguments, felt obi
ged to share his Imprisonment, notwith
standing he himself was entirely lnno
cent and SO, to save the blameles
brother from suffering, they had to dis
charge both from custody. the just re
ward of faithfulness.
Upon one occasion the brothers fe
out about something. and Chang knocl
ed Eng down and then tripped and fel
on him, whereupon both clinched an
/ began to beat and gouge each other witt
: out mercy. The bystanders interfere
and tried to separate them, but the
could not do it, and SO allowed them [
. fight it out In the end both were di
s abled, and were carried to the hospit;
s on one and the same shutter.
= Their ancient habit of going alwa,
together had its drawbacks when the
:. reached mans estate, and entered upt
n the luxury of courting. Both fell
= love with the same girl. Each tried
u steal clandestine interviews with he
: but at the critical moment the 9th
would always turn up By-and-bye, Ell
n saw with distraction that Chang had W.
If the girls affections, and from that d.
2 forth he had to bear with the agony
u being witness to all their dainty b
:, lings and cooling. with a magn
nimity that did him infinite credit
h succumbed to his fate, and gave count
t. nance and encouragement to state
st things that bade fair to sunder his ge
~ erous heartstrlngs. He sat from sew
,. every evening until two in the morn
or listening to the fond foolishness of t
We lovers and to the conclusion of hundre
IN of squandered kisses-for the privile
of sharing only one of which he wou
~: :e have given bis right hand. But he
|: patiently and waited, and gaped, a
es yawned, and stretched and longed
ey two hours to come. And he took 10
ey walks with the lovers on moonlight ev
No ings, sometimes traversing ten mil
lie notwithstanding he was usually suffer-