The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-01-21
THE suAMEsE TWINS.
Death of Chang ana Eng, the Coic-
brated Twin wonders.

A despatch from Greensboro, y. C,
gives the startling announcement of the
sudden death of the celebrated Siamesc
Twins on Saturday morning last. the 18th
instant which occurred at their residence
at Mount Aairy, Surrey County, n. c.
THE LAST MOMENTS.
There are no details of the sad event fur
Their than the fact that Chang was partially
paralyzcd last fall, since which time he has
been fretful, very much debiitated and
strongly addicted to drinking as means of
alcyiaiing his suffering. He had been
quite feeble for several days indeed so
much so as to coniinc both the brothers to
bed, but the illness was not so great ~ 10
cause any anticipation of the catastrophe
that was to follow. On Friday night they
retired to bed as usual but during the
night Chang became worse, and, to the ut
ter dismay of all bis friends, expired sud-
denly about -four o'clock on Saturday NOR
ming.
AS soon Us II was discovered that his
spirit had left its earthly tenement and that
death had claimed him for its own Eng
became so terribly shocked that lie ravcd
wildly for while, at times exhibiting signs
of great mental alteration This attack
was followed by what seemed to hc dead
~ stupor, ard all now watched eagerly the
fate OF the surviving tNln, 50 long aud in
separately united To his now dead brother.
In two hours, it was supposed, from the
death of Chang, Eng brc1thcd his last. and
IN death a+ H. life, the souls. as well as tho
bodies, of the celebrated twins were once
more reunited
THE WIVES AND FAMILIES
of the twins are in the deepest grief, the
children, many of whom are deaf mutcs,
expressing their sorrow aud bereavement in
the most pitiful manner
No definite arrangement ~ to
THEIR PLACE or BURIAL
had been made M to the date of present
information.
SKETCH OF THE sIAMESE TWINS
The Samesc twins, Eng and Chang, late
ly residing in North Carolina, were alilict-
cd with illness in the year 1871 They were
born at a small village on the coast of Siam,
in the year 1911. Their parents got their
living by fig raising, and until 1929, when
Eng and Chang were brought to the United
States, they made their living by selling
shcllfiSh. Their mother bore seventeen
children. At one time she gave birth to
three and never less than two. But none
of these children were dciormed. The
twins were united at tie anterior part of
the chest by prolongation of kind Of
flcshy band the size of the "and. I his
band of flesh is about two inches broad and
four inches thick The whole mass is
tough and capable Of being considerably
extended. One could whisper in the ear
of one Of them without the other hearing
it, while volatile salts applied TO the nos
trils of one had no effect ON the other and
while pinching the arm Of one excited no
sensation in the other, still if you hut stick
pin in the exact vertical center of this
connecting link, both would finch from
the hurt. The twins were seldom observed
to converse with each other. They played
a good game Of dranghts, made pretty much |
the same moves, and at the same time. and |
frequently played against each other.
After attracting vest amount of atten- !
ton among scientists and Psychologists in !
the old world, they married two sisters,
and settled down near Salisbury, y. c.. on |
a well-stoclled plantation. In addition they |
had at one period ample funds invested |
through their agent in New York. During |
the war they continued to live on their
plantation and lived in the same quiet and |
harmony as ever, until some few years af-
forwards. of course, no one ever thought |
of drafting them and their negroes prosper |
ed, except when out Of temper, from any !
cause, it was apt to work itself off in, strik |
ing 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 |
wives, though sisters, turned away their |
hearts, and children were the cause OF this |
enlargement. Up to the period that each |
had five children all prospcred well enough, |
but one of them had a SIXTH and that awokc |
envy and jealousy to such a degree that the |
twin sisters, not being bound together like |
the twin brothers, would no longer live un- |
der the same roof. The brothers were, it |
seems, about fifty-four years of age, but |
one, we believe, the smaller and fecbler of |
the two, looked it is said, ten years older
than the othcr.F Ihcy could turn either bacl. |
to back or face to face, bnt that is as |
far rs the remarkable bond that united |
them permitted. It is almost certain
that should either die the other could not |
survive even more than a few minutes, as |
there is an artery ~ large as the fcmoral |
artery that connects them. 4 few wears
since they correspondent with some of the |
leading surgical operators in London, MS To
the possibility Of the umbilicus being cut,
so that in case Of the death Of one the life
of the other might be saved At the re-
quest of the London surgeon they visited
that city, and many experiments were tried
to determine the safety OF such an opera
ton. Among other things ligature was
tired firmly for few minutes around the
connection between them, SO as to prevent
the circulation Of blood through the artery.
But il seemed AS if each would expire if
this were persisted in. The smaller of the
two tainted away and lost all consciousness.
and there were symptoms that the same eff
feet would follow TO the other, but the
process could not DO continued long enough
without endangering the life of him who
was the first to faint. Since the breaking
out Of the rebellion the twins both dressed
in the Confederate gray, andl were both