The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-01-30
THE SI1MESE TWINS.
a SKETCH OF THEIR LTvEs-THE WIVES
AND FAMILIES OF THE TwINS-THEIR
DOMESTIC INFELICITY AND MIN
TAI CHARACTERISTICS

The death of Chang and Eng, the Siam
Csc Twins, at Mount Airy. North Carolina.
and the circumstances attending their last
hours, have already been furnished cur
readers. 1t was unfortunate that no ply
sician having sufficient confidence in him
self was present whom they died. to attempt
the separation of the connecting link of
! flesh that bound the twins. Could this eff
| fort have been made the correctness of the
! theory that some medical authorities have
held that it would have been possible to
preserve the life of the surviving twin at
the death OF the other might have been
Viudicated.
Chang and Eng were about sixty-tv7o
years of age, they having been born in the
year 1911, in a little village on the coast of
siam. Their parents caught and sold fish
for livelihood. The mother OF the twins
bore seventeen children in all At one
time she gave birth to three, and never
less than two. But none Of these were de
formed. The physical popularity Of the
twins was a broad connecting band of flesh
uniting them by the XiphOid re, ZION Of the
breast. This band was about four inches
thick and two in breadth. 1t was flexible
and possessed the faculty of extension to a
certain degree, so that the twins could face
each other or turn back to back. While
each twin was master of his own physical
feelings and sensations without regard to
the other, they shared in any pain which
!
| otherwise injHring the centre of this ficshy
band. 1t was said of them their respira-
| tiOn and circulation were the Same as were
htheir waking and sleeping hours, and, to
great degree, their joys and sorrows, anger
and mental pain, ideas and desires. Curl
osities so great as they were were inevita-
bly, destined to find their way from the OBJ
security of thoiU Siamese home to the larger
and mOle profitable field of the United
? States and Europe. They therefore came
= to this country in 1929, when they were
eighteen years old, and were exhibited
everywhere throughout the United States,
exciting the wonder of the public and the
{ curiosity of scientists and physicians.
IN BARNUM's MUSEUM.
Barnum got the twins in $780, and for
several years they were shown in his old
museum. At that time they spoke English
very imperfectly. They were below the
medium size. Chang was larger than Eng
, and looked several years younger. He was,
too, the mental superior Of hrs brother, al
though both were ignorant, and had iutClii-
Gence that scarcely rose above low cunning.
| Their faces were peculiarly repelliug, yel-
/ low in hue, and closely resembling those of
: | the Chinese cigar sellers of Chatham street
! Chang was the most robust and good na-
tured. Eng was often sick, and always
= morose and peevish. They had a sleeping
room III the museum, as did the other curl
in 1t. On breaking open the door, the
twins were found fighting. Eng was on
the floor, underneath Chang, who was
l choking him. AS a rule, however, Chang
was more fOrbearing than the irritable dis
, position of his brother warranted. They
played checkers together sometimes, and
took lessons in English with slow results.
= Their pay was 500 a week, which they
/ equitably divided and put into savings
, banks. They never visited their home,
When Eng was sick Chang nursed him ;
but perhaps did so from selfish motives, as
the serious illness of one made it necessary
/ for the other also to go to bed. Chang had
! something of an appreciatiye vein of fun,
and liked to give scnseless answers, in his
broken English, to the numberless ques-
S tions of visitors. They remained with
| Barnum until they had then saved about
$40,O 600. Growing tired of show life, they
! decided to settle down in warmer part of
Z the United States.
THEIR MARRIAGE AND WIVES.
In their travels they had been in North
2 Carolina, and it's climate had pleased them.
So they bought two plantations, snd Sc
cured wives to complete their domestic es-
tablishments. Here they took the surname
J of Bunker. They were then bachelors of
1 forty-four. They married English sisters,
aged twenty six and twenty-cight. The
girls had been servants, and it is said that
$ The making of the double match involved
/ much trouble, for though the twins were
: not unduly eXacting, 1t was hard to find
two who were both willing aad at ali desir-
able. There was no love-making before the
+, | engagement, the counting being done by
proxy and correspondence, and the ladies
q had seen their future husbands only at q
show in London when they accepted the
: = offer of marriage. The twins based their
L choice upon hkenesses foTwarCe ed by their
S agent, who gave assurances of the respect
I ability of the girls Ali having been ar
. ! ranged they were brought to America, tho
= twins paving their expenses, and the mar
! riage was solernnized quietly in Salisbury.
C The wives were not beautiful, but were
|, | strong. healthy English working girls The
domestic lives of tlIe couples were peculiar.
Each family had its own house. servants,
t and domestic establishment. The planta-
: tions were owned and managed separately,
although in matters of consequence Chang
was usually the master. The wives lived
: entirely at their respective homes, and the
husbands misunderstanding one week at
, Chang's, and the next at Eng's. Each
: looked after his plantation and other bust
ness during the weeks Of living at his own
place, and the visiting brother was not
supposed TO interfere The wives did not
l agree very well, and the strangely tied
families quarrelled so seriously that the sis
, ters frequently had periods of complete es-
! arrangement, lasting for weeks at time.
MARRIED LIFE.
So, although Chang and Eng were rich,
:. they did not live happily. Mrs Chang bad
e the first child, and it was deafmute. The
7 families increased rapidly, until Chang had
=, six children and Eng five. Of these chill
i dren four never spoke or heard, although
n in other respects all were strong and not
= deformed. Eight are living, the oldest,
daughter OF seventeen, having lately been
married To the lessee of a neighboriug Plau-
: tation. About eight years ago Chang be
] came converted in religious revival, and
= Eng also embracing the7belief, they joined
the Baptist Church. They were regular
in their attendance Thereafter, ard retained
their standings as good Christians Their
tempers however, were not improved by