The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-05-03
THE CASE OF THE DOW TWINS

MY notions about souls influence on
soul" said DR.. Richards Of Saturday Cove
to me one day last September, are 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 long road from .jalap to soul, but |
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 few miles below Belfast, on
the Penobscot Bay. 1t apparently de
rives 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
cnth day. The Cove village consists OF a
hotel, two churches, several stores and a
grave yard containing former generations
of Saturdarians 1t is a 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 clans.
YES" continued DR.. Richards, as he
forced the barb of his jig hook into the
tender organism of the clam, my theory
is that strong soul may crowd weak
soul out of the body which belongs to the
weak soul and operate through that body,
even though miles away and involunta-
riy. believe, moreover, that a 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, ask
becomes of your moral responsibilities
replied that | could not imagine.
Your doctrine of moral responsible
ity,n said the Doctor sternly, as if it were
my doctrine and were responsible fo
moral responsibility, isn't worth thi
tomcod." and he took small fish off hi
hook and contemptuously tossed it bacl
into the Cove did YOU ever hear of tn
case of the Dow twins!''
| have never heard of the case of tn
Dow twins.
Well" resumed the Doctor, 1.-The
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. NJ
predecessor, old DR.. Gookin, superintend
ed their birth, and has often told me tn
circumstances. The Dow twins came int
the world bound back to back by \ flesh
ligature which extended half the lengt
of the spinal processes. They woul
probably have travelled through life in IL
innate juxtaposition had the matter de
pended on your great city surgeons-you
surgeons who were afraid to disconnet
Chang and Eng. and who discussed til
the operation till the poor fellows die
without parting company. Old d
Gookin. however. who hadn't attempte
anything for years in the surgical lin
more than to pull tooth or to cut out
occasional Wen, calmly went to work ar
sharpcned up his rusty old operatir
knife and slashed and gashed the twi
apart before they had been three hou
breathing. This promptitude OF Gookir
saved the Dow twins good deal of i
"onvience."
Il should think so.'
And vet" added the Doctor. rehet
ieely, perhaps it might have been bett
for EN- both if they hadn't been seq
rated Better for Jehiel especially. sin
he wouldn't have. been put in a false po
ton. Then. on the other hand. my thee
would have lacked the continuation of
illustrative example. Do you want
story!"
by all means.
well. Jacob and Jehiel grew
healthy. strapping boys, like as two p'
physically. but otherwise very until
Jehiel was all Dow-slow. slow-witt
inclined to melancholy, and disposed
respect the ten commandments. Jake,
had his mothers git-up-and- git-she v
q Fox of Fox Island-and was into N
chief from the time he was tall enou
to poke burdocks down his grandmotht
back. Dr. Gookin watched the devel
ment of the twins with great interest.
used to say that there was an invisi
nerve-telegraph between Jake and Jeh
At any rate Jehiel WAS accustomed to
very queerly whenever Jacob was up
any of his pranks. One night, for
stance, when Jake was off robbing b