The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1874-01-28
Sketch Of the Siamese Twins.

They were born at a 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 sheIlfsh. Their
mother bore seventeen children. At
one time she gave birth to three, and
never less than two. Bat none Of these
| children were deforned. The twins
were united at the anterior part Of the
chest by q p~ro!ongation Of a kind of
Arshy 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 capable of being consider
ably extended.
After attracting q vast amount Of at
|tentiUn among scientists and physiolo-
gists in the old world, they married two
sisters, and settled down near Salisbury,
N. c., on a we'll stocked plantation In
addition they had at one period ample
funds invested through their agent in
New York. During the war they con-
tinued to reside or their plantation and
lived in the same quiet and harmony as
ever, until some few years afterwards.
Of course. no one eve thought Of draft
ing them, and their negroes p~rospered,
except when out of temper 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 difficulty, but
that their wives, though sisters, turned
away their hearts, and children were
the cause of this arrangement. Up to
the period that each had five children
all prospered we'll 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 brother
were, it seems, about fifty four 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 is as far as the remarkable bond
that united them permitted
A few J ears since they correspondent
with some of the leading surgical oper.
tors in London, as to the possibility of
the umbilicus being cut, so that in case
of the death of one, the life ofthe other
might be saved. At the request Of the
London surgeon they visited that city.
and many experiments we're tried to de
termine the safety of such an operation.
other things a ligiture was sled
fora few minutes around the con-
n"ection between them, so as to prevent
the cirouia,i2n Of blood through the
But it seemed as if each would
if this vas persisted in. The
smaller Of tae two tainted away and lost
all CONSEQUENCES, and there were symp-
toms that ttS, same effect would follow
to the others but the process could not
be continued long enough without en-
langering the life BP him who was the
irst to faint. Since the breaking out of
he Rebellion, the twins both dressed in
he Confederate grey, and were both
MEMBERS of the same church, having
lnited with a small Baptist church in
heir neighborhood, Of which they were
very worthy members, tho
,orn Siamese.-N. Y. Herald.