Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-08-12
NORTH CAROLINA.

E
The Home of the Siamese Twlns-some
staunton and Augusta Pedple-A Great
Rock, etc.
Mt. AIRY, N. c., Aug. 5, '97.
While sitting in the photograph
rooms of an old Augusta county-Mt'
Solon-boy. Mr.. J. H. Blakemore, To-
day, was reminded by seeing a large
photo of the Siamese twins hanging On
his wall. that those remarkable broth
ers had lived and died here. some
Incidents connected with their death
and last days, and their homes will be
interesting to the old readers OF your
paper, some of whom have seen tne
twins, as we'll as to many OF the young
ar ones who have heard about them. l
will say for the information OF the iat
Ter that the twins, by name Eng ana
Chang Bunker, left their native land'
Siam, when they were 20 years OLD.
Whev we're united by ligament OF
issAess4 Ass inches in circumference ss-.-s
from the lower part of the breast pone
of one to the same point in the other.
They lived thus united for 81 years, for
to cut this ligament was death tol
both. and it must have been an un-
comfortable thought to them tnat
when one died the other would nave
to 60 too.
After they left Siam they travelled
over this country and Europe until
shortly before their death and MADE
good fortunes for themselves, marrying
and settling here near Mt. Airy on two
good farms which they bought, ana
where their children now live, and are
useful, good citizens. Eng was the
llarger of the two, the strongest and
heaviest, and married first. his wife
growing to be very large woman'
weighing about 800 pounds. She bore
him eight children. Chang, who was
about inch lower than the other and
smalled and who was thought to have
! the perfect heart, married sister OF
his brother's wife, and had 8 children.
Each had good plantation on oppo-
/ site banks of a creek. where they Kept
lup separate establishments, and would
snend alternate weeks at each others
homes.
Chang had stroke of paralysis on
| their last trip to Europe and they
came home. He got about well, how
ever. and was much interested and
. successful in his farming operations,
as was Eng in his. And all was going
we'll till one morning in the year '7S
!, Eng. the. larger and healthier one,
lwoke only to find his brother dead.
Il He alarmed the family and sent 1or
q DIR. Worthington, the family physlc-
liam. but his time had come too, ne
grew weak rapidly, soon became un-
lconscious and in less than 3 hours he
Twas also dead. Their bodies were sent
to Philadelphia where the physicians
+ ldissected them and made very inter
y esting report Oh the dual relation.
;, have found here firm of bullderl
!, well known in Staunton, Thos. Wood
< Iruff s. Sons, who built the present fin'
opera house, and made many friend
during their temporary sojourn in ou
le city. They are working the most re
IA markable granite formation known il
r this country, and doing large an
successful business with over ~
te hands. There are 40 acres in one grea
@. bare rock, over the face of which pass
le es the public road and your bugg
as runs over it almost as smoothly a
ID over the vitrified brick pavements {
~ our Staunton streets. The great roc
IS. splits off straight as pine wood. sa'
g. q piece about half an acre in size an
nv 6 or 7 feet thick which had been craci
he ed off horizontally from the mai
he body by repeated powder blasts. Ths
re l.was being split up in blocks, 200 fe'
less in length and any desired widtl
Sc A block weighing 20 tons has bee
hit hauled away on a car. The rallros
lie runs up to the quarry and does b
w. business in hauling off this extraort
It's, nary product. The son William w
ed killed several years ago by fallll
IN. fragment of stone sent up by blai
,he 1.-THE other two brothers, George al
ad- Thomas. superintend the work he
nd and are enlarging the business eve
a year, sending great deal OF the sto
;er- to the chief cities of Pennsylvan
on and are now cutting the granite for
nd large II story building in Philadelph
Ca They also have government contra
or on the fort near Wilmington, N. G.,
m the Cape Fear river.
Mt. Airy is a sort of Gutna Green
runaway lovers from the adjoini
. counties of Carroll and Grayson, a
er er. many restless young couples have h
met their fate. 1t is nice airy pls
az as it's name would indicate, being
'i'n 1900 feet elevation, about the same
ms Staunton. The surrounding count
'en- is good, the mountain views grand a
eiS the people as courteous and hospita
,as. as one would find in years of ira,
nat T. G. N
ars.
Elon 1t is stated that the populists '