The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-04-25
THE CASE OF THE DOW TWINS.

THE CASE OF THE DOW TWINS.
My notions about souls influence on
soul" said DR.. Richards of Saturday Cove
tome one day last September, "are a little
peculiar. don't make practice of Civ
ing 'em away to the folks around here.
The Cove people hold that when doctor
gets beyond .jalap and rhubarb he's tres
passing on the parsons property. Now
it's a long road from :jalap to soul, but I
don't see why one man mightn't travel as
we'll as another Will you oblige me with
clam?"
obliged him with clam. We were
sitting together on the rocks, fishing for
tomcod. Saturday Cove is small water
ing place a few miles below Belfast, on
the Penobscot Bay. 1t apparently de-
rivcs its name from the belief generally
entertained by the Covers, that this spot
was the final and browning achievement
of the Creator before resting on the sew
enth day. The Cove village consists of a
hotel, two churches, several stores and a
graveyard containing former generations
of Saturdarians. 1t is favorite give
among outsiders who envy the placid quiet
of the place that if the population of the
grave yard should be dug up and distrib-
uted through the village, and its present
inhabitants laid away beneath the sod,
there would be no perceptible diminution
in the liveliness of the settlement. The
Cove proper abounds with tomcod, which
may be caught with CLAIMS.
eyes," continued DR.. Richards, as he
forced the barb of his jig hook into the
tender organism of the clam, "my theory
is that a strong soul may crowd a weak
soul out of the body which belongs to the
weak soul and operate through that body,
even though miles away and involunta-
rily. [ believe, moreover, that man may
have two souls, one by right and the other
an intruder. In fact, know that this is
So, and it being so, what becomes of
your moral responsibility? What, 1 ask,
becomes of your moral responsibility"
| replied that l could not imagine.
"Your doctrine of moral responsible
ity,' said the Doctor sternly, as if it were
my doctrine and were responsible for
moral responsibility, "isnt worth this
tomcod,' and he took small fish off his
hook and contemptuously tossed it back
into the Cove "Did you ever hear of the
case of the Dow twins2"
/ have never heard of the case of the
Dow twins
"Well,' resumed the Doctor, ssthey
were born into the family of Hiram Dow,
thirty years or more ago, in the red farm
house just over the hill back of US. My
predecessor, old DR.. Gookin, superintend-
ed their birth, and has often told me the
circumstances. The Dow twins came into
the world bound back to back by fleshy
ligature which extended half the length
Of tho spinal processes. They would
probably have travelled through life in IN
innate juxtaposition had the matter de-
pended on your great city surgeons
surgeons who were afraid to disconnect
Chang and Eng, and who discussed the
the operation till the poor fellows died
without parting company. Old DR.
Gookin, however, who hadn't attempted
anything for years in the surgical line
more than to pull tooth or to cut out ar
occasional wen, calmly went to work and
sharpened up his rusty old operating
knife and slashed and gashed the twins
apart before they had been three hours
breathing. This promptitude of Gookin,s
saved the Dow twins good deal Of in
"onvience" go q y
II should think sou" r. v
"And yet" added the Doctor, reflect
vely, "perhaps it might have been bette,
c1'em both if they hadn't been sepa
ated. Better for Jehiel especially, sine,
ne wouldn't have been put in false posi-
hon. Then, on the other hand, my theory
would have lacked the confirmation of al
illustrative example. Do you want til,
story2" '.-.t.. r.,
"By All means" ~ t.'... '.#
"Well, Jacob and Jehicl- grew u,
healthy, strapping boys, like as two pea
physically, but otherwise very unlike
Jehiel was all Dow-slow, slow witted
inclined to melancholy, and disposed tt
respect the ten commandments. Jake, h
had his mothers git-up-and- git-she wa
Fox of Fox Island-and was into mis-
chief from the time he was tall enough
to poke burdocks down his grandmother
back. DR.. Gookin watched the develop
ment of the twins with great interest. H
used to say that there was an invisibl
nerve telegraph between Jake and Jehiel
At any rate Jehiel was accustomed to &C