The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1874-01-27
sketch of the s,amc.e twins

The Siamese Twins, Eng and Chang,
LATELY residing in North Carolina, were
afflicted with illness in the wear 1871
They were born at a small village on
the Coast Of Siam, in the year 1871
Their parents got their living by fish
ing, and until 1929, when Eng and
Chang were brought to the United
States, they made their living by selling
she'ifish. Their mother bore seventeen
children. At one tine she gave birth
to three and never less than twn. But
none of these children we're deformed
The twins were united at the anterior
part of the chest by prolongation of
kind of fleshy band the size of the
hand The band Of flesh is about two
inches broad and four inches thick -
The whole mass is tough and cspable
of being considerably extended One
could whisper in the ear Of one of them
without the other hearing, while vola-
tile salts applied to the nostrils of one
had no effect on the other; and while
pinching the arm of one excited no sea-
sation in the other, still If you but stuck
a pin in the exact vertical center of this
Connection link both would finch from
the burt. The twins were seldom OBJ
served to converse with each other. -
They played a good game of draughts,
ma lie pretty much the same moves, and
at the same tim :, anl frequently pIsyed
against each other
After attracting vast amount Of at
tenion among scientists and physiolo-
gis;s 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 on their plantation, and
lived IN the same quiet and harm my as
ever, until some few years afterward -
OF course no one ever thought of draft
ing them, and their negroes prospered,
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 wcnld have had any difficulty, but
that their wives, though sisters, turned
away their hearts, and children were the
csuse Of this arrangement Up to. the
period that each had FIVE children sill
prospered we'll enough, but one of them
had a sixth, and this awoke envy anil
jealousy to such degree that the twin
sisters; not being hound together like
the twin brothers, would no longer live
ander the same roof; The brothers
were, il seems, about fifty-four wears of
age, but one, we believe the smaller and
feebler of the two, looked, it is said. ten
years oder than the other They could
turn either back to back or face to face,
bat that is As far as the remarkable
bond that united them permitted 1t is
almost certain that should either die the
other could not survive even more than
a few minutes, as there is an artery as
large as the femoral artery that con
meets them. A few years since they
corresponded with some of the leading
surgical operators in London, as to the
possibility of the umbilicas being cut,
so that in ease Of the death of one, the
life of the other might be saved. Al
the request of the London surgeons
they visited that city and many eSper
iments were tried TO determine the safe
ty Of sach an operation. Among other
'hines ligature was tied firmly for .
few minutes around the connection be-
tween them. so as to prevent the circu
lation of blood through the arter7-
Bat it seemed as If each would expiss
| if this were persisted in. The smaller
of the two tainted away and lost al
consciousness, and there were sywp
toms that the same effect wcald follow
to the other, but the process could moi
be continued long enough without en-
dangering the life of him who was frs
to FAINT. Since the breaking out of tht
rebellion the twins both dressed in tht
Confederate gray, end were both mem
bers OF the same church, having unitec
with small Baptist church in thei
neighborhood, of which they were con
sidered very worthy members, thougt
born Siamese.l