There was to be no rest for Chang and Eng. No sooner had they arrived in the United States—after fourteen tiring months of exhibits in England, Scotland, and Ireland—than they were put right to work again.
The person who put them right to work was Mrs. Susan Coffin, wife of Captain Abel Coffin.
A change in the management of the Siamese Twins had occurred before or upon their return to the United States. Robert Hunter had decided to give up his partnership in the twins. He had sold out his half-interest to Captain Coffin. And Coffin, eager to resume pursuing his own commercial enterprises in the East Indies, had delegated control of Chang and Eng to his wife Susan and to a seafaring friend, Captain William Davis, Jr., who was to serve as Mrs. Coffin's assistant.
Having retained James Hale as the twins' business agent, Mrs. Coffin hastened back to Boston for a reunion with her two children. She had ordered Hale to keep in touch with her through Captain Davis, who made his home in Newburyport, Massachusetts. As for Hale, he was unhappy about the arrangement. He did not like the pressure he was under. He had been apart from his wife Almira and his children for a long time, and he wanted an interlude with his family. This he was not given. Furthermore, Hale, who had tolerated Mrs. Coffin until now, was angry be-cause she had been rude to his wife. Nevertheless, he realized that until he could find something better, there was a job to be done, and he set out to do it.
Chang and Eng launched their first thorough American tour when they opened in New York City on March 15, 1831. There were contradictory reports about the success of their second appearance. According to an 1853 pamphlet, the twins were once again a hit attraction. Their recent success in the British Isles had "served greatly to stimulate the curiosity of the New York public." The author went on to say that "their levees were now more densely thronged than ever. An absurd story that their union had been discovered to be a deception, which obtained some credence about this time, only served to increase their receipts, as those who were inclined to believe it, were sure to visit them, and confirm or dispel their doubts by ocular demonstration."
However, another version of the twins' success during their opening two weeks in New York was given by James Hale in a letter to Mrs. Coffin dated March 31, 1831: "The weather has been very stormy here, since you left at times so that the walking is bad — We have not had forty ladies since we opened—they you know are our best customers, if we can get them — Our receipts have averaged but $20 per day—and two nights at the Theatre paid $5o per night amounting in all-15 days to 425 dollars. . . . I expect to go to Philadelphia on Sunday next and try it there, and feel afraid on coming back we shall have to come down to 25 cents to make money—"
While worried about the admission price to see the Siamese Twins, Hale was more concerned about his own family. He apologized for having had to leave the twins for a day to visit his wife and two children in Boston, but his children were ailing and he was anxious about them. Then he told Mrs. Coffin: "Chang Eng are well and desire to be remembered to you—they wish if you know any one going to Phila to send them the 'Book about playing Chess'—their '4 blade penknife, in a morocco case,' and 'a Bible' — Their shirts answer very well—we have had Caroline and Josephine [daughters of a friend] here to overhaul Chang Eng's clothes . . ."
In a few days, Chang and Eng left for Philadelphia and the beginning of their virtually nonstop eight years on the road.
Until then, Chang and Eng had had only a brief glimpse of one corner of the United States. After they had first landed in Boston in 1829, they had exhibited in four American cities. Now, on the new tour, they would cover almost every hamlet, village, and city where entertainment was feasible, in fourteen out of twenty states in the nation. They would be almost continually on the move for eight years, crisscrossing the East, Midwest, and South, as well as venturing into Canada and traveling down to Cuba.
At the start, they traveled by regular stagecoach, occasionally by boat or train, but soon Mrs. Coffin realized that public conveyances gave too many members of the potential paying audiences a free sight of the twins. To rectify this, she invested in a private enclosed buggy for the boys, a wagon for their baggage, and three horses, and hired an extra man named Tom Dwyer to travel with them and assist them when Hale moved ahead of the caravan to arrange and promote bookings.
For Hale and the Siamese Twins, the time on the road was often a lonely time, and the only way they could keep in touch with their employers and friends was by correspondence. Their personal letters give an unretouched portrait of Chang and Eng as they were in their youth, revealing their moods and personal problems. They also present a down-to-earth picture of show business in America as it existed in the early 1830s, as well as a candid picture of life in the back roads of the nation in that period of history. In addition to the letters, there is also a daily expense book that the twins' manager kept for them from 1832 through 1839. How they spent their money day by day often gives valuable insights into their habits and personalities.
These hectic years, mostly passed in the backwaters of the adolescent United States, were catalytic years for Chang and Eng. In that time they became mature, independent, sophisticated, and their conversion from Siamese boys to American men was completed.
Their tour began with the showing in New York City. There, the indefatigable diarist Philip Hone paid to see them and noted in the opening of the fourth volume of his journal: "MARCH 15. — Went this morning to see the Siamese boys, who returned last week from England . . . their dispositions and their very thoughts are alike; when one is sick the other partakes of his illness, and the stroke of death will, no doubt, lay them both in the same grave; and yet their bodies, heads, and limbs are all perfect and distinct. They speak English tolerably well, and appear fond of talking."
Now the twins' travels were under way with their second visit to Philadelphia. Mrs. Susan Coffin came down from Boston to join them there. Chang and Eng were exhibited in a city theater, and they slept at night in a drafty back room of the Masonic Hall where Hale had set up two beds, one for the twins and one for himself. Food was purchased and brought in from a boarding-house located at the rear of the Masonic Hall. Business was good, but not as good as it had been in Philadelphia a year and a half earlier. As Hale wrote to Captain Davis' sister on April 12:
"Chang Eng are quite well, excepting for the last two or three days they have had a small touch of their old complaint, the bellyache but that I hope will soon go off. —
"I have been two nights to the principal Theater with them, & the night is to be announced for their benefit—I get one half the receipts of tonight. — We have done very well here, but do not come up to the week we were here before."
During the next five months, traveling through New England, then in the South, and then in New England again, Chang and Eng started to show signs of irritation toward their audiences. Mrs. Coffin commuted from Boston to wherever they were on exhibit to give advice and check the gate receipts and alternatingly flirt with Hale or berate him or attack his wife. Also, the natural tensions caused by constant travel, endless performances, and strange boardinghouses were having their effects on the twins. Furthermore, the twins were becoming less and less amused by spectators who failed to regard them as human beings. In the recent past, they had been good-natured about the insensitive inquiries and remarks made by audiences. But gradually their humor soured, and their tempers surfaced.
The fact that trouble was brewing should have been evident when Chang and Eng exhibited in Exeter, Massachusetts. There, a local physician, viewing them, wondered aloud if the twins were "identical or separate." The physician told Chang that he would like to stick a pin in his left shoulder to see what effect it would have on Eng. "If you stick a pin in me," snapped Chang, "my brother Eng might knock you down."
Soon enough, the twins were knocking people down. During a showing in Athens, Alabama, they were seated on a platform be-fore an audience when a doctor emerged from the audience and approached them. He asked if he might examine their connecting band. The twins were aghast at the request. While they had often allowed their ligament to be examined by physicians or reporters in private, the idea of permitting such an examination in public appalled them. Curtly, they told the doctor he could not touch the band.
Infuriated by the rebuff, the doctor loudly accused them of being a fraud. He then turned to the audience and shouted that the united twins were really two separate people and that every-one present was being cheated. The twins reacted instantly, both hitting the doctor with their fists. The doctor toppled to the floor. At once, everyone in the hall was on his feet, some spectators siding with the doctor, others with the twins. People rushed for-ward to attack both the twins, others to attack the doctor, while still others fought among themselves. Not only fists flew, but chairs and stools were thrown, and one spectator doused the twins with a pot of water. Chang and Eng desperately tried to escape the riot but failed, and they might have been seriously injured had not the police arrived. After a brief confusion, the police released the offending doctor, but arrested Chang and Eng for assault. They were fined $35 before being discharged. They also made note of an added expense: "Judge Posey for inserting C.H.'s statement of the Athens affray in Florence Gazette $2."
On another visit to Philadelphia, the fact that the twins were genuinely united saved them from a fine or jail. A spectator, shaking hands with Chang, squeezed his hand painfully hard. Immediately, Chang punched him, knocking him off his feet. The man rose, summoned the law, and the twins were hauled before a magistrate on a charge of assault and battery. The magistrate, after studying the twins' connecting band, addressed the complainant. The judge agreed that Chang could be jailed for assault, but added that if Eng were also jailed it would amount to false arrest and the complainant himself would have to be prosecuted. Needless to say, the injured party dropped his charges.
Around this time, Chang and Eng, accompanied by Hale, took a vacation in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. The twins were edgy—from overwork, from constant feuding with Mrs. Coffin—and they wanted to find some isolation and peace. Instead, they found trouble. A headline and story in the Salem Mercury told what happened:
ARREST OF THE SIAM YOUTHS
Chang and Eng, the Siamese Twins, were arrested on a warrant from a magistrate for a breach of the peace at Lynnfield, on Monday last, and bound over to be of good behaviour and to keep the peace, in the sum of two hundred dollars. They have for a few days past been rusticating for recreation, and staying at the Lynnfield-hotel, so as to enjoy the sports of fishing on the pond and shooting in the woods. The neighbouring inhabitants have had a very eager curiosity to catch a glimpse of their movements while on their excursions, and have sometimes been rather troublesomely obtrusive to the Siamese, whose object was seclusion. Last Saturday afternoon [when] they were in the fields, shooting, each with his fowling piece, a considerable number, fifteen or twenty idle persons, followed to observe their motions, and some of the men or boys were probably obtrusive and impertinent. Two persons from Stoneham, Colonel El-bridge Gerry and Mr. Prescott, went towards them in the field, after they had been harassed and irritated considerably by others; — the attendant of the Siamese [Hale] requested these persons to keep off, and by way of bravado threatened that, if they did not, the Siamese would fire at them. The Colonel opened his waistcoat and dared them or him to fire, but they did not —The Colonel then indiscreetly accused them or him of telling a lie — The attendant spoke to the Siamese about the charge of lying—they exclaimed "He accuse us of lying!" and one of them struck the Colonel with the butt of his gun; the Colonel snatched up a heavy stone and threw it at the Siamese, hit him on the head, broke through his leather cap, and made the blood flow; the Siamese then wheeled and fired by platoon at the Colonel, who was horribly frightened, as most other people would have been, though it turned out afterwards that their pieces were charged only with powder. The noise and smoke were just as great as if they had been loaded with ball. The Siamese went immediately into the Hotel and loaded with ball—the Colonel and Mr. Prescott learning this were greatly alarmed, and endeavoured to keep out of the way. Mr. Prescott fled to the barn, and secreted himself in a hay-mow. The Colonel went to Danvers and lodged a complaint against the Siamese and their attendant, a young Englishman, for breach of the peace. An officer went to arrest them, but by the interposition of a gentleman, who happened to be at the Hotel a truce was concluded. On Monday, however, Prescott made complaint to Mr. Justice Savage of this town, and they were taken before him and bound over.
There was no escape from staring faces, and after paying their $200 fine the twins went back to work.
Meanwhile, James Hale was having his own problems. He liked Chang and Eng, and despite the pressures of handling them and the difficulties they were getting into, he got along well with them. They were not his main problem. Hale's main problem—in fact, most of his difficulties—came from his employer, Mrs. Susan Coffin. Hale resented the insulting manner in which Mrs. Coffin had frequently spoken of his wife. And he suspected that Mrs. Coffin accompanied him on some of the travels to make his wife jealous. Finally, he was angered by Mrs. Coffin's charges that he was neglecting Chang and Eng.
By September 1831, having had his fill of Mrs. Coffin and ready to quit if her harassment continued, Hale, arriving in Portland, Maine, from Boston, sat down to address a letter to Captain Davis:
Now after [I have] said all that I can about business, I am obliged to enter upon a topic which no doubt will cause you as unpleasant feelings to read as it does me to write upon, but as I feel that my duty requires it, I shall say what I wish, expecting it will be communicated through you to Mrs. Coffin.
I will not say a word upon which I consider to be an outrage upon hospitality, respecting Mrs. C's treatment of my wife after I left N.P. [Newburyport] let her own heart answer to herself, but I do most sincerely reprobate her conduct in laying before her, what she certainly had no right to do to a wife what Mrs. Coffin was pleased to call my errors. She informed her, and that too when ill, that I was not half the man I was when in England, that I could not attend to her business and to my family also, and that Chang Eng were most shamefully neglected while in Boston, because she (Mrs. H) took up much of my time—that she was at liberty to turn me away at any moment, and that if things did not go on strait, I very well knew the consequences—with many other remarks of the like nature. Now, Capt Davis, supposing all that she said to be perfectly true, which by the bye I do not allow, but allowing it for a moment, what right has she to tamper with the feelings of my wife in that way, or rather why so insult her, and under her own roof too? If she has fault to find, let her do it to me, but no, to me everything is always smooth, and I have frequently heard that she has said that I was a very good man to conduct the business, and I have more frequently heard of her telling that she could turn me away at any moment, and that probably I never should get so good a situation again. If a "good man," why tell the consequences of behaving ill? It is damned hard, after completely ruining my constitution for her husband's interests, when I am doing in the United States alone that which in England was performed by Capt. Coffin, myself, and generally another, it is hard to hear these insinuations and to have my own wife insulted too by them. That Mrs C has insulted her before me more than twenty times, is a fact, and I like a fool took no notice, because I did not wish to quarrel with the wife of my employer. But it must be so no longer, if she considers me worthy the confidence placed in me by Capt. Coffin, then let me manage my own business in my own way, without any interference, and when I have surplus funds it will always be written, but I have seen these things done so frequently that I cannot suppose they will now cease—therefore, as I agreed with Capt. Coffin to give a week's notice before leaving, I now do it, and request that someone may be sent to examine & settle my accounts and take the charge off my hands, of which I assure you I am most heartily tired. Should it be wished for me to remain, I will still endeavor to do as heretofore and use my undiminished energies for the concern and in that case I shall be most happy to write to and hear from you, but as I cannot be at peace with Mrs. Coffin I must from this time decline any further intercourse with her, either personally or by letter.
When in N. Port I took an opportunity of doing what I thought my duty, to Mrs. Coffin, alone—I told her of many reports in circulation which I thought injurious to her character and to mine too that it was thought strange that she should wish to be travelling about the country with me, meeting me at various places &etc. Now altho' these stories are very foolish, still I should hardly think she would wish to brave public opinion but she says she cares not a cent for the opinion of the world, she shall go when and where she likes. Now this is very independent but is it the course a prudent woman would pursue who wishes to sustain an honourable situation in society? Mrs. C probably thinking to harass Mrs. Hale with it told her she believed she should go to Portland while we were there altho' much was said against it, and declared her determination to go where she chose with me. Was this treating Mrs. H kindly or was it endeavoring to excite in her the worst of all feeling, jealousy? I think you will be able to judge—I strongly advised Mrs. C not to come to Portland, as Chang Eng had often said they did not wish her or any other woman to be with them and I thought it better to silence idle tales at once by her not coming at present, but without effect, she should do as she pleased in spite of any body. I will now say to you friend D. that when Mrs. C. comes to Portland, I quit it with pleasure. I do not wish to be thought to threaten, because I had rather quit than not—but I wish to have it most distinctly understood that I am no longer to be led by the nose by her. I will stay if it is wished, and I shall if I stay endeavor still to exert myself for the interest of Capt Coffin, for whom I shall ever cherish the highest regard, for to me he was always a friend—but we owe each other nothing, he has been a friend to me, I have done my duty to him—therefore the a/c is balanced and I should always hope to be on friendly terms with him but I will not be ill-treated any longer by his wife.
Hale and the twins remained in Portland for ten days. The day before leaving to exhibit Chang and Eng in Dover, New Hampshire, Hale wrote a letter to a friend, Charles Harris, who lived in a boardinghouse in Newburgh, New York. Hale had apparently struck up a friendship with Harris, an Irishman, while touring with the twins in England. When Harris came to the United States to seek his fortune, the friendship resumed. The two men corresponded regularly during the time Hale was on the road with the twins. Evidently, Harris had written Hale in Portland that he was down on his luck, doing poorly, and therefore planning to return to England. Now, in an effort to dissuade his friend from returning "across the Pond," and worried about Harris' bad fortune and shortage of funds, Hale was writing to offer him a $100 loan. In the letter Hale expanded on his own future plans, which he had already confided to Harris.
First, Hale brought his friend up to date on his relationship with his employer. "I have been so disgusted lately with the improper conduct of Mrs. Coffin, and so offended with her for her insulting treatment of Mrs. Hale, that I have written a very severe letter to her, and have cut all connexion with her either personally or by letter—I gave her either that alternative or promised to quit — So I have no more trouble with the old hag."
Hale then confided that he was going to quit working for Mrs. Coffin within seven months and take over as proprietor of an inn or tavern he had just purchased in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. He was going to become a "Boniface," he told Harris, "and set up my staff in mine own habitation, and locate as `mine host' of Lynn-field . . . in May next to hang out the bloody flag near the battle ground in Lynnfield `fam'd for deeds of arms'—and I think for a device shall have the valiant Colonel in battle array with the Sammeneses." Since Harris was "a liquorish fellow," Hale invited him to enjoy "board and liquors" as his guest for a year, or longer if he wished. Apparently, Chang and Eng also knew and liked Harris, for in concluding his letter Hale wrote, "C. Eng desire their love and thank you for your kind remembrance of them—they say 'its no use to say much to the feller, as I expect to see him soon in N. York.'"
Hale moved the twins on to Dover, where business was not good, then on to Boston. Hale's real purpose in returning to Boston was to have a confrontation with Captain Davis, to whom he wrote: "I do not feel that I can consistently travel much longer, my health is suffering so much. There is no mistake about this I assure you and I should feel very sorry to leave them if you could not get anyone who would answer the purpose as well as myself. However no doubt we could make everything right when I see you—and I hope that while I am with them I shall not give cause for any more grumbling."
It may be inferred from the ensuing correspondence that the meeting in Boston between James Hale and Captain Davis was crucial. Despite his affection for Chang and Eng, Hale could endure the tour no longer. He was tired of the rain and sleet, tired of the perpetual movement, and tired of the ever-hovering presence of Susan Coffin. In Boston, either Hale quit on the spot or gave notice that he intended to quit shortly thereafter. Certainly by October 1831, Hale's professional relationship with Chang and Eng had ended for the time being, although he would surface again later.
A successor to Hale was needed immediately to manage the twins. Hale knew someone who needed a job, who would be as competent as he himself at his work. Undoubtedly, it was Hale who recommended that his confidant, Charles Harris, become the new manager of Chang and Eng.
Harris came from Newburgh, New York, either to New York City or Boston to have an interview with Susan Coffin. The inter-view went well, for immediately after it a contract was signed between the two parties. The contract began:
"It is mutually agreed between A. C. Coffin on the one part and Charles Harris on the other part that the said Abel Coffin doth agree with the said C. Harris, that he is to take charge of the Siamese Youths on the following conditions that the said Mr. C affording to pay the said Charles Harris the sum of Fifty Dollars per month, for the time he is employed in the services of attending the youths . . ."
There is no evidence that the changeover in management troubled Chang and Eng in any way. They had become used to James Hale, dependent on him, and they cared about him, but they had known Charles Harris socially and liked him also. Harris, born in Ireland, was thirty years old when he took over the twins. Al-though trained as an accountant, Harris listed himself as a doctor in a passport obtained in 1833. In fact, the twins always addressed him and referred to him as "Doctor."
With a fond farewell, Hale left to rejoin his Almira and their two children, and the twins set off with Charles Harris to resume their tour.
A prolific letter writer, Harris bombarded Captain Davis with communiques for Mrs. Coffin, detailing the troupe's progress. More carefully than Hale, he recounted summaries of their travels, their business, the needs and activities of Chang and Eng. By November 20, 1831, Harris and the twins were in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where he started a letter which he concluded a week later in Norwich, Connecticut:
I wrote to you that our success in Providence was very doubtful. I am sorry to say that my foreboding on the subject were but too fully realized—for our receipts did not pay our expenses — If we had not advertised that we would remain there until Thursday 17th I really think Chang-Eng would have been pleased to clear out the second day—but having reckoned on a good business—we thought it better to fix a certain time to stay in the Place & so have time to settle our arrangements for other places — And having fixed on a Certain number of days to stop it would have made us appear ridiculous to have left before that number of days had expired — On Friday morning we left Providence & got to Woonsocket Village for breakfast. We stopped there until the morning & did a very satisfactory business having a good deal of company and a very moderate bill.
We left Woonsocket Village this Morning & got to the Inn here [Pawtucket, Rhode Island] about ii o'clock—we hope to do a good good business here on Monday & Tuesday & on Wednesday morning we shall start for Centreville a Village about 10 miles south of Providence . . .
A week later, Harris was writing:
I shall . . . now give you an account of our proceedings since we reached Pawtucket. We continued there on Monday & Tues-day & did a very good business — On Wednesday morning we rode thro' Providence to a small Village which is eleven miles south of it—where we continued until Friday morning—when we left for this City [Norwich]. —
At Centreville I expected to have done a good business—but in this was much disappointed, which arose from the very un-comfortable state of the Weather—as it blew a keen frosty wind all the Time, and the population is scattered in Villages, some as near as one mile & others as far as four miles distant from Centreville. . . . A good business might be done in Summer—but under the circumstances in which we are placed I thought we were lucky in getting as much as paid our bill — On Friday we left Centreville & reached this City at 8 o'clock on the same evening; having travelled 39 miles in 12 Hours — We rested our Horses twice on the road & dined at Plainfield—but the evening was dark and we found it very uncomfortable during the last two hours of our ride. . . . We shall remain here until Wednesday morning & then start for New London where we intend to re-main until Sunday morning on which day we hope to travel some distance on the way to New Haven—but I don't think we shall do any business after we leave New London until we reach the Village of Bridgeport in Connecticut which is about 16 Miles from New Haven & nearer New York — After we leave Bridge-port I am unable to tell you where we shall be found—but we calculate on making a short pause at Newark in New Jersey. . .
I am glad you think that we have got on well—since I have been with Chang-Eng — I have the satisfaction to say that we are all anxious to do a good business & if we do not succeed—I don't think it will be the fault of any of the party — I am happy to find that Mrs. Coffin is pleased with our progress & our doings; Our balance up to last Evening was $222 -- but of this $112 will be due on the 1st of December for the pay of our Squadron . . .
With business out of the way, Harris went into personal matters. He sent regards to the twins' regular physician in Newburyport, Dr. John Brickett, and then added for the doctor and the others:
"At present I have nothing to say that would interest him. We are all well except Mr. Dwier [Tom Dwyer, the troupe's extra man] who has a slight cold — In consequence of the Severity of the Weather—I have purchased two comfortable Buffalo Robes & 2 warm fur caps for Chang-Eng — I am having a suit of blue clothes made for them in this City they are to cost $4' — The blue cloth which they chose is a good color of a most excellent texture — They made as good a bargain with the tradesman as they could & I hope they will take good care of them when they get their new Clothes."
As in most of his letters, Harris passed on the good wishes of Chang and Eng to the many friends they had made in Newbury-port. And he reminded Mrs. Coffin to send Chang and Eng "Seven of their new Cotton shirts & four pair of their thick, long woollen stockings."
There was one more friend the twins had on their minds. As they had left pets behind in Siam, they also had left pets in Newburyport, and one was a favorite rabbit named Tom. Wrote Harris: "Chang-Eng wish to know how their little pet 'Tom' is—they wish to know if he has as yet got a wife—as the weather gets cold."
When the party reached Bridgeport, Connecticut, nine days later, the winter was fully upon them. In Norwich, despite "the very extreme severity of the Weather," they did a fairly good business. In New London, the snow fell heavily and the thermometer dropped close to freezing, and they did )"poor business—but we took enough to pay our bills & to give us a small remnant to carry with us." After crossing the Connecticut River, they covered thirty-eight miles between early morning and sunset before reaching Guilford. "We had our horses prepared for the snow before we left New London—and although a good deal of snow had fallen, yet the road was tolerably good for Wheel carriages." The next day they headed for New Haven, there rested their horses overnight, and went on into Bridgeport. Harris reported:
"Chang-Eng bear the cold much better than I expected—in travelling they continue to keep themselves tolerably warm by putting on the extra jacket & an extra pair of stockings—but they suffer more from cold when in bed, in consequence of which I procure them a bed room with a fire whenever it is possible to get it.
To this, Chang and Eng wished a postscript added:
"Chang Eng desire their love to all & say 'the further South we go the more snow we see'—they wish to know if the weather is severe 'down East'—as in that case they strongly recommend the use of buffalo robes. — They are quite in a fright at our business being so bad—as they are afraid if this very severe weather lasts we may starve!!!! and that would be a very sad business. . . . C & E's love to their rabbit—they wish to know if he bears this severe weather well & whether he has a companion to keep him warm."
After a brief stand in Rye, New York, the small caravan passed through New York City and halted in Newark, New Jersey. The first day in Newark "we took almost sixty dollars—which considering the miserable cold of the weather I could not help thinking tolerably well . . ."
After three days in Newark, they went on to Morristown, New Jersey, where a letter awaited them. Since the letter, addressed to Harris, was from the twins' physician Dr. Brickett, and not Captain Davis, Harris was surprised.
Dr. Brickett stated that Mrs. Coffin had received no word for weeks concerning the twins' whereabouts or the business they were doing—none of Harris' three recent letters had yet reached Captain Davis—and Mrs. Coffin was upset with Harris. Therefore, Dr. Brickett was writing on Mrs. Coffin's behalf:
In conversation with Mrs. Coffin this afternoon she expressed a desire to learn your present location & future destination and success thus far in your pursuit. I informed her that I had heretofore solicited a continuance of correspondence with you & hoped, e're long, to get a letter from you & as considerable time had already elapsed, I am induced, feeling as I truly do, a deep solicitude for the interest of my very worthy and absent friend Captn. Abel Coffin, to violate etiquette, so far, as to write to you again, without being able to acknowledge an answer to my last. . . .
In conformity with your agreement with Mrs. Coffin, be assured, Sir, it will be highly gratifying to her to hear from you by return mail, wherever this may find you, advising her, the minutia of your proceedings, Prospects etcetera.
Now it was Charles Harris' turn to be upset. In his contract with Mrs. Coffin, he had agreed to keep in touch with her regularly through letters written to her intermediary, Captain Davis. Even though his last three letters had not yet arrived in Newburyport, Harris had written them to Davis to fulfill his part of their contract. Here, suddenly, in breach of their contract, Mrs. Coffin was asking him to make reports to a second party, Dr. Brickett.
For the first time, Harris was irritated by Mrs. Coffin. He immediately dashed off a letter to Captain Davis—not Dr. Brickett—protesting that he had written regularly, that he would continue to report to Davis as previously agreed, that it would be "unpleasant to me as well as unsatisfactory" to "extend the correspondence on business beyond one person," and that he was "in the dark" about what Mrs. Coffin meant "in the message concerning the minutia of our proceedings &c." He then repeated details of the recent business Chang and Eng had done, went into the bad weather once more, and stated that shortly they would be on their way for exhibits in Reading, Bethlehem, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Arriving in Bethlehem three days before Christmas, Chang and Eng had something on their minds that they wished to discuss directly with Susan Coffin. They decided to write her—or rather to dictate a letter for Harris to put to paper. Apparently, their arrangement with Mrs. Coffin had been for them to pay for the maintenance of their horses and conveyances out of a two-dollar expense allowance she gave them weekly. This was what was on their minds, and as usual they dictated their joint letter to her in the first person singular:
I begin to find the expence attending our horse and chaise much more than I expected, when I made the arrangement with you at Boston—in consequence of which I shall in the end find myself out of pocket by the present plan — I am quite sure it is not your wish that I should lose anything by the agreement entered into with me & I should like therefore to come to some new arrangement.
I think if you would increase the allowance to 3 dollars per week it would about keep me square, otherwise I am sure I shall be a loser as the chaise will certainly want a new pair of wheels & new lining throughout in course of the spring—which will come to a very large sum. You may be able to form an idea of the amount paid for trifling articles when I tell you that since I saw you I have laid out for sundry articles for my horse & chaise more than nine dollars & very little to shew for it.
If you think 3 dollars a week more than you would like to give I can leave my Gig & Horse where he will be boarded cheap & well taken care of & we can then travel by the Stage, as we have done heretofore, or in any other manner which you would consider more advisable.
The request by Chang and Eng for a raise to three dollars a week in their travel allowance—or else to board their horse and chaise and use public stagecoaches—soon became a matter of contention. Captain Davis' reply quoted Mrs. Coffin as saying, "about the chaise CE can do as they please." Since this ambiguous reply neither granted them a raise nor agreed to let them abandon their horse and chaise, Chang and Eng were upset. Harris was equally upset, believing it would be a mistake to board or sell the horse and chaise rather than receive money for their upkeep. He argued the point with Mrs. Coffin through Captain Davis:
I shall endeavour to do as well as I can as respects the Horse & Waggon, but I would be very unwilling to make a sacrifice in the sale of them. I confess for my own part shall regret our leaving off our present plan of travelling—it has very many advantages & one of the most striking advantages is that it is a decided saving of expence; in addition to this it enables us to travel when we like & likewise to stop at pleasure — The annoyance endured by Chang-Eng in travelling in public conveyances is likewise completely done away with — I read to them your letter & I am sorry to say that they are very deeply mortified at Mrs. Coffin's answer to their letter; in fact they do not know what to say or do about it & they are much hurt at Mrs. Coffin for not saying either "Yes" or "No" to their proposal—as it stands, they say Mrs. Coffin's reply means nothing — They say that at present they have no opportunity of either selling their horse & gig or of leaving their horse where he would be well taken care of so for the present they will travel in their gig, paying their horses board, and also tolls &c. & expect me to pay them for 2 seats in the stage from place to place — I wish you would let me know what you think of this plan—as I feel rather awkwardly situated in the affair—an awkwardness arising from my being the medium of communication between Mrs. Coffin & Chang-Eng on this subject which seems to annoy them so much.
Eight days later, still not having resolved the issue, Harris wrote another letter to Captain Davis pursuing the subject further:
. . . you say (in speaking of Mrs. Coffin's wishes) "and about the chaise CE can do as they please." Now considering the letter which they had written to Mrs. Coffin & that this letter was written to Mrs. C—in the most discreet manner—they thought the short answer sent by Mrs. Coffin was intended (as they expressed it) to place them in an awkward place, and that it was like taking a bird, clipping off his wings & then holding it up on one's hand & saying "Now you may fly if you wish." (This latter sentence is in their own words.)
After stating that he would now have to cancel the twins' twenty-five-cents-a-day allowance and use the money to buy three seats for the two of them on stagecoaches, Harris went on to make another plea for an extra allowance to keep up the private chaise and horse:
It seems to me that no great loss could accrue to the concern if C & E's request were complied with "until Captain C's return"—I have mentioned above that Chang-Eng thought Mrs. C wished to place them "in an awkward place"—what is meant by this expression is that she sent them this answer (which they consider so unsatisfactory) at a time when they had no opportunity of leaving their horse & gig where they were sure of its being taken care of & taking into consideration the extravagantly high price of horse food in this part of the country. . . . The above being a subject dictated entirely by Chang-Eng they wish me to make a separation or division in this letter & have asked to sign their name to it—to this I can offer no objection.
CHANG ENG.
While in later correspondence there exist no further allusions to the disagreement, it is clear that Chang and Eng somehow won out and gained a raise in their expense allowance. They continued to travel with Harris in a repaired carriage drawn by their own horse, always followed by a horse and wagon driven by Tom Dwyer, their all-around man. Sometimes, to lighten the load for the carriage horse, Harris—and occasionally Chang and Eng would travel ahead by train or stagecoach.
Sometimes, when Chang and Eng traveled by public transportation, they liked to take advantage of their condition and have fun with the authorities. On one widely publicized occasion, Chang and Eng, sharing a voluminous cape which hid their connecting ligament, bought a single ticket and boarded a train to Louisville. When the conductor came around to collect the passengers' tickets, he asked Eng for his ticket.
"I don't have a ticket," said Eng.
"Then you'll have to get right off the train," said the conductor.
"Very well," said Eng, rising to leave, with Chang rising to his feet beside him. The cape fell open to reveal their connecting band.
"But wait, I have a ticket," Chang announced, showing it, "and if you put me off, I'll sue the railroad."
The conductor stared wide-eyed at them, then quickly backed down. They completed the journey, but did buy a second ticket when the conductor recovered from his shock.
The twins had celebrated the coming of the New Year-1832, the year they would come of age—a few weeks earlier in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They arrived there in a snowfall, having left Reamstown the day before, and, according to Harris, "we opened a room, but the villagers had never before been called on to pay more than 121/2 cents for any show, or sight or exhibition & were therefore quite unwilling to pay 25 cents—we would of course take no less 8z in consequence we took no more than enough to pay our bill."
After Lancaster, the tour had ground on, with engagements scheduled almost daily despite the bitter cold and steady snow-storms. Cities came and went, without rest for the travelers. There was Harrisburg, where they did "a very satisfactory business." Then in early January they were in Carlisle, with Harris reporting, "The weather still continues wet & uncomfortable, & I much fear it will cut up our business very much here—for although the town is full of people rainy weather will interfere very much with their coming to see us. — In a few minutes I expect a physician in to prescribe for Eng—who has had a very bad pain in his side for a few days past—but he is so much worse today that when he breathes very freely it causes him a great deal of pain — Chang's pain has likewise given him a good deal of trouble lately—today they are both in miserable spirits."
Next they set out for Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, with Chambersburg their more important destination. Along the route there was a dangerous incident, which Harris immediately reported:
. . . although we reached the village that evening, very unexpected events occurred before we reached the place — After leaving Carlisle we got along very merrily & had completed 6 miles of the 21 when the Axle of the Gig snapped & down came one side flat on the ground. — Chang-Eng's horse, Charley, set off at full speed, but after running about 70 yards he stopped quietly from being spoken to by Chang-Eng. . . . On getting out of the gig we found that of all three the only one who had received any damage was Eng who was sitting next the wheel which came off, he had a slight blow on the side of the head from the falling wheel which caused a trifling swelling which has since disappeared. I think you will agree with me that we escaped well in the matter & have great cause to feel thankful for our escape. — An empty carriage passing accidentally at the time we got into it & lead Charley behind leaving the gig & broken wheel in care of a cottager near to whose house the accident took place. . . . [We] got to Chambersburg before 6 o'clock—time enough to open there as we had advertised at 7 o'clock in the evening—but the news of our accident had travelled quicker than we had & so no one expected us until Friday morning when we opened our room & closed it on Saturday Night having taken at our doors more than 74 Dollars—we expected to have done better but must not complain.
In this letter written at Greencastle, Pennsylvania, Harris also addressed Captain Davis on a matter of the troupe's business. Near the entrance at each exhibit, a sixteen-page pamphlet pre-pared by James Hale, carrying a full-page lithograph of Chang and Eng, was always on sale. Now Harris discussed the necessity for a new edition:
I forgot to mention the subject of the pamphlets and on this subject I have many reasons to urge why it would be desirable to have a fresh supply printed—in the first place selling the pamphlets makes the two hours every morning & evening pass much more pleasantly than they would without them and did you know how heavily those 4 hours a day pass sometimes when we are unlucky enough to have a room full of dull stupid persons—you would not be surprised at my grasping at anything which gives a chance of breaking the monotony of such a company
. . I am certain you would agree to it, if you know how much the selling of those little books lightens the amount of foolish questions asked in the Exhibition Room.
After an appearance in Hagerstown, Maryland, the party made its way to Frederickstown. Once there, Harris found a letter waiting for him, written half to him and half to Chang and Eng, from his friend and predecessor, James Hale.
Hale wrote from Boston to give Harris some advice on the next leg of his tour, which included Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Also, having heard of Eng's recent pains in his side, Hale wrote that he was "sorry to observe by your last few words that old Eng was threatened with Chang's old complaint—I really hope it may not be the case, as the poor fellows suffered extremely from it in Phila—and moreover couldn't eat any birds or broiled pigeons—they'll understand this."
In the second half of his letter, Hale addressed Chang and Eng directly. They had written him from Bethlehem about a young lady they were romantically interested in, and Hale was responding:
"Now my old stick-in-the-mud, rapscallions, a few words for you. — Your last. . . was copied and sent 'down East' the day after I reed it—and as I have not heard a word from her since, I cannot tell whether it was recd—whether she is sick, or if the old folks have smelt the rat and put a stop to her writing — I cannot think the latter is the case, for a woman will always find means to do as they please, father & mother notwithstanding. Your last letter, from Carlisle was sent yesterday to her, and the moment I get anything in return you may depend I will forward it to you. Don't be uneasy my dear fellows for I expect the former letter must have miscarried—and no doubt the last will be shortly answered." The letter was signed, "Believe me your friend Jas. W. Hale."
The twins' use of Hale as an intermediary in their wooing of this young lady is one of the rare written references to their continuing interest in the opposite sex. From the time Chang and Eng toured the British Isles, when they were eighteen and nineteen, they made no secret to those in their inner circle about the attraction young British and American women held for them. With strangers, or even good acquaintances, however, they were very circumspect about discussing their romantic inclinations. They sensed, instinctively, that the public might be at once titillated and appalled to know that the two of them who were one could fall in love with a single woman or enjoy sexual relations with a normal woman. To the public, the very thought of the joined brothers going to bed with a woman boggled the imagination. As a result, much of their romantic activity was never made public. But from certain remarks in their correspondence, it is clear that during their eight-year American tour they were often attracted by the women they met, fell in love frequently, and may even have had sexual intercourse with prostitutes.
In Frederickstown, Harris also received word from Captain Davis that Captain Abel Coffin had written his family from Bata-via, Java, saying he expected to be home soon. Replying to this letter, Harris gave Davis a report on the recent business the twins had done:
"We opened a room in Greencastle & only took $15—but the cause of this was evident to me on learning that there has been (& still continued when we left) a four days meeting [religious revival meeting] which was protracted to 10 days & as might be expected all the good folks were literally mad on the subject. Last Tuesday morning we left Greencastle & got into Hagar'stown Md. but here religion was all the fashion likewise & altho' in course of our evening & two whole days we received a few cents more than 8o dollars yet from the size of the town & other causes I expected to have done better but I fear religion stood much in our way."
Less than a week later the troupe was in Baltimore, and once again they ran afoul of bad weather. On January 27, 1832, Harris wrote Captain Davis:
"The cold is now more intense than any which we have felt before. The ink in my glass was frozen hard this morning & so severe was the cold in the Holliday Street Theatre last night that after an attempt to go through their parts the actors were obliged to give in and make an apology to the audience. . . . We are eating, drinking and sleeping but not making any money . . . but what can we expect? considering the weather."
During seven days in Baltimore, the exhibit of Chang and Eng was able to enrich the concern by $85.621/2. Since Harris calculated that good business should earn them $280 in a week, by his standards Baltimore had been a disaster.
Entering the District of Columbia—the occupant of the White
House was President Andrew Jackson, serving the fourth year of his first term—the travelers found that Washington was too specifically what the twins planned to discuss with Coffin about their future, or perhaps he did know and was worried about his own future.
In any case, the next four weeks proved to be among the most vital in the lives of the Siamese Twins.
Somewhere, between Pennsylvania and New York, they learned that they could not see Captain Abel Coffin in person. He was still abroad, and would not return to the United States for four more months. The twins then said that it was urgent that Mrs. Coffin meet with them in Buffalo, New York. She later replied that she was unable to meet with them. Since Chang and Eng could not meet with either of the Coffins in person to tell what was on their minds, they decided to do so by mail.
On May 11, 1832, in Pittsburgh, they celebrated their twenty-first birthday by announcing that their relationship with the Coffins was at an end, that their contract had been fulfilled, that henceforth they would be free, and that on the evening of May 31 it was over and they would be on their own.
This fell like a bombshell on Mrs. Coffin. She reacted immediately by ordering Captain Davis to advise the twins that if they quit, they would be breaking their word to Captain Coffin. They were to be reminded that they had promised Captain Coffin that they would stay in her employ until he returned to the United States. She would not allow them to go back on their word. They were also to be reminded of how much she had done for their comfort, and how much she loved them.
When Chang and Eng checked into Mansion House in Buffalo, they found Davis' letter transmitting Mrs. Coffin's strongly worded message. A year or two before this, they might have trembled and complied with her wishes. But now they had come to adulthood, had seen and experienced much, and were not only grown but hardened.
They stood firm. They vented their deepest feelings about their employers of three years to Charles Harris. They made him sit down and write Captain Davis—and through him, Mrs. Coffin herself. Although Harris made some remarks of his own, most of his letter was devoted to Chang's or Eng's comments and rebuttal, as dictated to him, and indeed Chang and Eng affixed their own names to this letter.
The letter to Captain Davis in its entirety, dated from Buffalo on Tuesday, May 29, 1832, read as follows: was waiting for them. It was a significant letter, for it is the earliest letter extant to hint at a revolt Chang and Eng had been secretly planning. Hale's letter read, in part:
"Nothing from Capt. C. yet — Nor from Mrs. C. neither—she has not been in town lately, and I am told that she keeps pretty close—short of funds probably, ha? — I dare not put on paper all the scandal I hear—but it's pretty much after the old sort.... I expect it's almost time to be looking out for yourself (Chang Eng) now—May is near."
Almost time to be looking out for yourself.... May is near. Meaning that on May ii, 1832, Chang and Eng would be twenty-one years old. They would legally be of age, and for the first time would have the legal right to determine their own future. In secret, they had been plotting their future with both Harris and Hale, and now, above all else, they wanted a face-to-face meeting with Captain Abel Coffin.
The insistence of Chang and Eng to meet with Captain Coffin was so great that, from Greensburg on April 30, Harris felt it necessary to write a letter to Davis in which the second paragraph was bracketed in ink to indicate that it was to be treated as "private" and strictly between them:
"The same anxiety for Captain Coffin's speedy return continues & this rather increases than diminishes—a few days since they were anxious that I should write and tell you that they are anxious for either you or Mrs. Coffin to come on to them—but again they changed their minds & desired me to write, however this I write to you in confidence & shall ask you to consider it as `private.' But I am anxious at the same time to let you know all these things that you may know exactly how we go on & as to their anxiety for the return of their friend Captn Coffin it is so frequently & particularly mentioned that I cannot account for it, but felt it to be right to let you know it — Please to consider what I enclose in brackets thus ( ) as `private.' "
From this passage it is clear that Chang and Eng wanted an immediate confrontation with Captain Coffin about something important—were at one point eager to see Mrs. Coffin or Captain Davis instead, but then changed their minds about that. What is not clear is Harris' motive in writing the passage to Davis. Harris must have known why the twins wanted a personal meeting with Coffin, yet he was writing Davis that he could not "account" for their anxiety to have such a meeting. Perhaps he did not know crowded to accommodate them immediately. Every theater and exhibit hall was booked with other acts, and the hotels and inns were filled. As a result, the troupe was forced to open in nearby Georgetown. Again bad weather haunted them. In eight days, according to Harris, they took in only $1o9.731/z.
Meanwhile, Harris had obtained a showroom in the Masonic Hall in Washington, D.C. He booked the twins in there for eight days, later explaining to Captain Davis:
"During the time we had the masonic Hall in Washington open we continued to board in Georgetown & we saved a good deal by this arrangement—for having our own horse, gave us the opportunity of going & returning cheaply & moreover for some nights we had moonlight which gave us an advantage in returning after q o'clock in the evening. The distance from Roach's Tavern in Georgetown to the Masonic Hall is very little short of three miles—so that during this time we had good exercise."
The weather continued inclement, and few customers ventured out in the cold to see the Siamese Twins. During the eight days in Washington, the troupe members grossed only $170.25 for their efforts.
Now, moving into Virginia to continue their exhibitions, Chang and Eng suffered an incident in Norfolk that angered them deeply. As Harris related it to Captain Davis:
... a Medical man drew up a Memorandum concerning C & E for one of the Norfolk papers, which was a very well drawn up paper & calculated to do us much good—were it not for one sentence which stated that they (the Twins) were sold by their Mother to Mr. Hunter & Captain Coffin. On hearing this C E's rage knew no bounds & they made me go immediately to the Young Doctor who drew out the Memorandum & ask him how he came to state such a thing as that they had been bought of their Mother. The young man immediately stated that his information was obtained from a paper published by Dr. Warren of Boston in a Medical Book wh. was in every medical man's hands. I think that if Chang at that moment had Dr. Warren by the nose & if Eng had the person who gave the Doctor these particulars—the two noses would have been very much lengthened; at all events they would have tryed their best.
By late April, Chang and Eng were in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where a letter dated "Boston April 25th" from James Hale was waiting for them. It was a significant letter extant to hint at a revolt Chang and Eng had been secretly planning. Hale's letter read in part:
"Nothing from Capt. C. yet—Nor from Mrs. C. neither—she has not been in town lately, and I am told that she keeps pretty close—short of funds probably, ha? — I dare not put on paper all the scandal I hear—but it's pretty much after the old sort . . . I expect it's almost time to be looking out for yourself (Chang Eng) now—May is near."
Almost time to be looking out for yourself . . . May is near. Meaning that on May 11, 1832, Chang and Eng would be twenty-one years old. They would legally be of age, and for the first time would have the legal right to determine their own future. In secret, they had been plotting their future with both Harris and Hale, and now, above all else, they wanted a face-to-face meeting with Captain Abel Coffin.
The insistence of Chang and Eng to meet with Captain Coffin was so great that, from Greensburg on April 30, Harris felt it necessary to write a letter to Davis in which the second paragraph was bracketed in ink to indicate that it was to be treated as "private" and strictly between them:
"The same anxiety for Captain Coffin's speedy return continues & this rather increases than diminishes—a few days since they were anxious that I should write and tell you that they are anxious for either you or Mrs. Coffin to come on to them—but again they changed their minds & desired me to write, however this I write to you in confidence & shall ask you to consider it as 'private.' But I am anxious at the same time to let you know all these things that you may know exactly how we go on & as to their anxiety for the return of their friend Captn Coffin it is so frequently & particularly mentioned that I cannot account for it, but felt it to be right to let you know it—Please to consider what I enclose in brackets thus() as 'private.'"
From this passage it is clear that Chang and Eng wanted an immediate confrontation with Captain Coffin about something important—were at one point eager to see Mrs. Coffin or Captain Davis instead, but then changed their minds about that. What is not clear is Harris' motive in writing the passage to Davis. Harris must have known why the twins wanted a personal meeting with Coffin, yet he was writing Davis that he could not "account" for their anxiety to have such a meeting. Perhaps he did not know specifically what the twins planned to discuss with Coffin about their future, or perhaps he did know and was worried about his own future.
In any case, the next four weeks proved to be among the most vital in the lives of the Siamese Twins.
Somewhere, between Pennsylvania and New York, they learned thtat they could not see Captain Abel Coffin in person. He was still abroad, and would not return to the United States for four more months. The twins then said that it was urgent that Mrs. Coffin meet with them in Buffalo, New York. She later replied that she was unable to meet with them. Since Chang and Eng could not meet with either of the Coffins in person to tell what was on their minds, they decided to do so by mail.
On May 11, 1832, in Pittsburgh, they celebrated their twenty-first birthday by announcing that their relationship with the Coffins was at an end, that their contract had been fulfilled, that henceforth they would be free, and that on the evening of May 31 it was over and they would be on their own.
This fell like a bombshell on Mrs. Coffin. She reacted immediately by ordering Captain Davis to advise the twins that if they quit, they would be breaking thei word to Captain Coffin. They were to be reminded that they had promised Captain Coffin that they would stay in her employ until he returned to the United States. She would not allow them to go back on their word. They were also to be reminded of how much she had done for their comfort and how much she loved them.
When Chang and Eng checked into Mansion House in Buffalo, they found Davis' letter transmitting Mrs. Coffin's strongly worded message. A years or two before this, they might have trembled and complied with her wishes. But now they had come to adulthood, had seen and experienced much, and were not only grown but hardened.
They stood firm. They vented their deepest feelings about their employers of three years to Charles Harris. They made him sit down and write Captain Davis—and through him, Mrs. Coffin herself. Although Harris made some remarks of his own, most of his letter was devoted to Chang's or Eng's comments and rebuttal, as dicated to him, and indeed Chang and Eng affixed their own names to this letter. The letter to Captain Davis in its entirety, dated from Buffalo on Tuescay, May 29, 1832, rad as follows:
Dear Sir,
Your letter of the 22nd came to hand last evening & I must thank you for your promptitude in so quickly replying to mine from Pittsburgh. It was of great importance to me to know that my letter had been received & whether or not Mrs. C. could make it convenient to come on here—as without a letter from you I would have been not a little embarrassed as to the course which I had to pursue on Thursday evening—when they mean to close the concern.
I have read your letter over to Chang-Eng & they say that as to the "promise" made to Captain Coffin "that they would stay under Mrs. Coffin until the return of Captn. to the U .S ."—as to this they say there must be a great mistake some where as they must deny this altogether. When they last saw Captn. C.—they distinctly understood from him that he would in all human probability be home in January (1832)—but on this they stated their wish (in case of any accident to him) to have a memorandum under his hand as to the time they were to consider themselves under his control—he immediately stated that of course when they attained the age of 21—they were "Their Own Men"—to use the words of Captn. C on the occasion. Moreover they say January, February, March, April & May have all passed & the chance of seeing Captn. Coffin seems (they say) as far off as ever.
Suppose, they say, that Captn Coffin should prefer remaining altogether in Batavia or any other distant region—is it reasonable that they should wait from month to month & year to year until his return? In fact, they say, such an undefinable term as that of "till Captn C. returns" is quite absurd after 4 months having passed since the time fixed for his return. Under this view of the case they don't altogether consider it right in Mrs. C. to tax them with not "keeping their word" for according to that view of the case (say they) if Captn. Coffin should never return to the U.S.—they would to the end of their lives remain as they now are — As to Mrs. Coffin doing all she could for their comfort & loving them & liking them—they say, they have no doubt that the number of thousand of hard shining dollars which they have enabled her to spend have made her like them—but let Mrs. C. look into her own heart & they feel confident she will discover that the great loving & liking was not for their own sakes—but for the sake of the said Dollars. If there is any doubt in her mind on this subject they say, she has only to retrace in her mind the cruel manner in which they were forced to go into a crowded room when they were more fit to be in an hospital. If they wanted to give a few instances they would re-mind her of New York (their first visit) & likewise London & Bath—they say to Mrs. C.—let her look over these things in her own mind (they hope she has not forgotten them), & after this let her make up her mind as to her loving & liking them — In fact, they say, the less she says about loving & liking—the better.
Chang-Eng desire me to tell you that it is very unpleasant to them to be unable to write all this to Mrs. Coffin themselves—which they would much prefer—but on finding Mrs. C. bring a charge agt. them of not keeping their word—they cannot avoid letting her know all which they have stated before. They desire me to say that their great anxiety has been to close the business in peace, quietness & friendship & they are determined that nothing shall be done by them to prevent this from taking place—but after the fatigues & dangers by Sea & Land in Ships & Carriages—by Night & Day—which they have endured to make money for Captn C they consider it to be rather out of the way for her now to accuse them of breaking their word to Captn C. They say that you (Captn D) know little of their fatigues endured when in England—but they would merely look back (and ask you to do the same) to their first visit to Newbury Port when they expected to have a little rest—but even here (they say) the wish to make money was so great that instead of having any time to themselves a room was procured & visitors admitted just as it had been a few days before at Boston. Give Chang-Eng's best wishes to all friends they desire me [to] say it is very unpleasant for them to be obliged to get another person to write such a letter as this but there was no way of getting out of the difficulty—but to submit to the imputations contained in your letter. They have asked to affix their signature to it to stamp it as their deed, their sentiments & their feelings, concerning the transactions.
CHANG ENG
SIAMESE TWINS
Their bondage to the Coffins was over. They would be, forever after, for better or for worse, "Their Own Men."