The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-05-21
REMARKABLE TWINS.
TWO WOMEN so NEAR ALIKE AS
TO DECEIVE THEIR HUSBANDS.

hIlM MADhADlJlL i w lNDs
TWO WOMEN so NEAR ALIKE AS
TO DECEIVE THEIR HUSBANDS.
Mrs. Coombs and Mrs. Turner. of Spring
neid, Mass.. Have Had Lots Of Fun in
Their lives Becauso Of Their Great Re
sembianoe-lIrs, Coombs' Story.
Similarity in facial appearance has of
ten resulted in mistaken identity with
the subjects of this sketch, Mrs. Levi I,
Coombs and Mrs. Josiah Turner
These estimable Fomen are twins
their maiden names were Frances AFRO
ette and Florella Antoinette Foss. 1t
will be observed that their initials were
the same, the middle name being be-
slowed on the promise of pearl neck
lace for each.
The Foss twins were the daughtersof
DR.. Simeon Foss, a Maine physician Of
the old school and Mason of high de-
gree They were born in Belfast, Me-,
Nov. %, 1925. Frances made her debut
in this world half an hour before her sis
ter.
At Paris Hill they went to school with
the late Hannibal Hamlin, ex-vice presi-
dent of the United States.
Frances married the late Levi I.
Coombs, who held the position of deputy
sheriff of Androscoggin county, in the
town of Lisbon, twenty-one years.
Florella married Josiah Turner, now
dead, who also lived in the town Of Lis
bon Both have been school teachers
and inseparable companions. Their
mother died when they were 2l5 years
Of age
1t is difficult to distinguish one from
the other, and the photographer who
took their pictures persisted that Flo
rella had just been in the room when, in
fact, it was her sister who had been
there.
Frances has given birth to six chill
dren, all Of whom are dead but two
Walter Coombs, Of this city, and Simon
Coombs, now mail agent on the Maine
Central railroad.
Mrs. John Staples, Of Charlestown,
and Charles Il. Turner, Of Lawrence,
are the only living children of Florella,
| who had three in ALL
The height of the twins is exactly the
/ same, and twelve years ago they weighed
just 200 pounds apiece.
/ Singularly, when one would fall away
in weight the other would do the same.
Their aggregate weight at present is $50
pounds.
These duplicate sisters think alike, act
alike and have never adopted different
characteristics of dress to avoid mis-
takes of identity. Often one has worn
the others shoes, while years ago their
money came from one pocketbook, and
it did not matter which one carried it.
Mistaken identity was almost daily
occurrence with us in our younger
days" remarked Frances a few days
ago. My father always called us girls,
and neither Of us ever addressed the
other by our given names. We called
each other sister instead.
"The reason why father never ad.
dressed us by our given names was due
to the fact that he was always uncertain
which was which.
AFTER we were married people ad
dressed me by my sisters new name SC
often that | declare / got puzzled my
self once, and couldn't for the life of Inc
tell whether my name was Turner ol
Coombs.
I'VE took our first ride on railway
train at eighteen years of age. We never
had seen the cars before. At that time
we were living in Lisbon and drove
down from there in chaise to Portland
When we alighted at Saco the depot
closely resembled the one in Portland
and stuck to it that it went with us,
{ zone time in church Judge Chamber
lin was sitting in my sisters pew. Ny
seat was Just ahead of him. When
came in he mistook me for my sister
and politely arose and stepped into tn,
aisle to let me into my sisters seat.
: my husband often mistook my sistet
| for myself To illustrate how easily HI
= was fooled, will recall the time wheI
5 | dropped into my husbands store t,
, pay him a call. Judge Chamberlin sa
o there, and knew him well, but my sis
ter didn't
LAS | entered leisurely my husband
f said, Come in, Mrs. Turner, and b
T. seated kept straight face as long a
r | could until he had introduced me +
r. the judge, when a smile ON my face lie
a the cat out of the bag and then III,
q husband discovered that he had intro
: duced his wife instead of Mrs. Turner.
when we lived in Minot we studie,
French under Parson Jones. One day
had a perfect lesson and sister did no
know hers We shifted around, an
Z the parson mistook me for sister and
= recited the lesson for her and no one wa
- the wiser.
1--WE used to attend parties in m
}. younger days, and on one occasion, whe
e the fellows come in after the girls,
" started off with sisters fellow and &c
y quite piece with him before / told hiI
n he was mistaken and had better 60 bac
"a after his girl.
"Once at dusk Mr.. Coombs was goin
q home from the store. He saw my siste
on the other side of the street an
<, thought ID was l. Florella had a bun
'e die under her arm which he mistook fc
e baby. My husband thought it strang
,s that | was out at that time with IN
!. baby, and said to clerk that he b,
lieved Frances was crazy and going
y drown that baby
ID 81 used to fool my children sometime
k after they had got to be quite larg,
S Whenever wanted to go away my si
ter would come over TO my house, pu
~. ON one of my dresses and stay with tn
u children till got back, and they woul
not know the difference. Springfield
d Cor. Boston Globe.
is Unfortunate HanIsinson.