River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1874-02-10
InE SIANESE TWINS.


Barry handagc--rhrtr Marriage
ties.
A correspondent of the New York
Herald writes from Mount Airy. North
Carolina. letter concerning the late
Siamese twins, from which wr extract
the following
THEIR ADOPTED MANY.
AS is already known they we're born
in Siam on the 18th of MAY. 1871.
where they lived Until 1920. when they
were brought 90 the United States hy Il
sea captain named Coffin This person
claimed them rs his property, aud tX.
hibited them for lengthy period, real
izing handsomely from hls enterprise,
the twins implicitly believing de had
as perfect n right aud title 10 them as
to any other goods aud ohattels he
possessed, How long this continued
my informant was unable 10 say, hut a
man named Bunker appeared, who
knew the circumstances Of their origin,
and who interested himself sufficiently
in their behalf 70 tree them from the
species oi slavery in which they were
beld by Coffin. This done, they adopt
cd the name of their patron, aud began
giving exhibitions themselves under
the style and title of the
URN oF r. C. BUNKER.
They soon after married sisters
named Yates, and became land owners
and slavo-mastels. They for a number
OF years occupied the same house, but
finally divided their property and then
families, living in separate houses, aud
they alternating between the two,
spending three days at a time in each
home, and each having sole control Of
the movements of the other while in
his own home The correspondent
further says
THEIR RESIDENCES
are located respectively three and four
miles from this village, in a northwest
erly direction. Changes, the first we
come TO, is wooden building, painted
white, two stories high. and shaped
like an l., with eight rooms, which are
well, though not luxuriously furnished.
Eug's house has much the same APP
pelrance rs Changes, bat 1T is built of
logs and is not painted. The farms,
as | sand before, are excellent, well
stocked, and are sufficiently capable Of
maintaining in comfort the families Of
the deceased twins.
TEMPER OF THE TwISs.
Whether the same blood circulated
through the veins of both or not, II is
certain they were different IN temporal
ment and disposition Eng was mild,
amiable, gentle in has disposition, ami
pleasing IN his manners. Chang was
the very reverse, having a very Irrlta-
bic disposition and violent temper,
always ready TO take offence, and quick
to quarrel at the slightest umbrgge.
Eng VIII be recollected as the larger OF
the twins, Chang the smaller. Numer-
ous instances are related (some of
which are, OF course, exaggerated OF
the unhappy domestic consequences OF
Changes violenttemper. Sometimes at
the table during their meals he would
fly INTO a passion, spring up, and seizing
the tablecloth would Jerk oil the plates,
dishes anl eatables of the table and
scatter them in fragments all over the
room. iavorite way of displaying
his temper was to drag a feather bed
across the room and pile it on the fire
Repeatedly he fought desperately with
Eng-a hand-t)-hand combat, the Lat
ter always acting on the defensive
Once Chang succeeded in cutting him
very severely IN the face, il is said,
with a knife before he was dislrmed
Eng being asked what was the matter
with his wounded face, replied, ct
was done one day'-all that could be
got out of him in regard 10 the broth
erly affray.
THEIR FAMILIES
are very large, Eng's wife having had
eleven children, seven OF whom are
now living Two of them died in in-
fancy, aud two after they were grown.
Changes wife had ten children, nine of
whom are living, two Of them, a boy
and girl, as before stated, being deaf
mutes The latter was recently mar
ried at Raleigh, to her tutor also a
deaf mute, at the Deaf and Dumb Asy
lum in that city. The hospitality Of
the families is a household word ia
Surrey county. There was always
welcome and a good meal for every
visitor, the latter being compelled to
eat something in every instance,
whether he desired it or not, for good
fellowship.
LIGHT AND HEAVY WEIGHTS
In health the combined weight of
the twins was 90 pounds, which WAS
exceedingly light when compared with
their better halves. Mrs. Chang weighs
about 10 pounds, is somewhat corpu-
lent, has fair complexion, and pre-
scnts the appearance of healthy
country woman in her declining years.
Mr. Eng weighs the enormous avoir-
dupois of 800 pounds. Her appearance
is similar TO that OF her sister, except
she IS more obese, but inst as active.
The children are all intelligent, well
educated, and promise to make good
citizens. One of Changes sons nov
lives in California, where be has made
quite small fortune There are
others in various parts of the United