Show EBMAKKABLB TWINS Women Whom Kvoii TheIr Husbands Could Not Tell Apart Similarity in facial appearance has often resulted in mistaken identity with the subjects sub-jects of this sketch Mrs Levi T Coombs and Mrs Josiah Turner of this city These estimable women are twins their maiden names were Frances Arroettee and FJorellaAntoinettee Poss It will be observed ob-served that their initials are the same the middle name being bestowed on the promise of a pearl necklace for each The Foss twins were tho daughters of Dr Simeon Foss a Maine physicians of the old school and a Mason of high degree They were born in Belfast Me Nov 23 1825 Francis made her debut in this world half an hour before her sister At Paris Hill they went to school with the late Hannibal Hamlm exvicepresi dent of the United States Francis married the late Levi T Coombs who neld tne position of of deputy sheriff of Androscoggin county in the town of Lisbon twentyone years Florella married Josiah Turner now dead who also lived in the town of Lisbon Both have neon school teachers and hDo teaclers inseparable insep-arable companions Their mother died when they were 2 years and 0 months of nge I is difficult to distinguish one from the other and the photographer who took their pictures for the Globe persisted that Flor ella had just been in the room when in fact it was her sister who had been there Frances has given birth to six children all of whom are dead but two Walter Coombs of this city and Simeon Coombs now mail agent on the Maine Central railroad roadMrs Mrs John Staples of Charleston and Charles E Turner of Lawrence are the only living children of Florellu who had three il 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 330 pounds These duplicate sisters think alike act alike and have never adopted different characteristics of dress to avoid mistakes 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 a daily occurrence with us in our younger days remarked Frances to the Globe man who called on her a few days ago My father always called us girls aud neither of us ever addressed the other by our given names We called each other sister instead steadThe The reason whj father never addressed us by our given names was due to the fact that he was always uncertain which was which After we were married people addressed ad-dressed me by my sisters new name so often that I declare I got puzzled myself once and couldnt for the life of me tall whether my name was Turner or Coombs We took our first ride on 1 railway train at IS years of age We never had seen the cars before At that time we were living In Lisbon and drove down from there in a chaise to Portland When we alighted at Saco the depot closely resembled the one in Portland nod I stuck to it that it went with us One time in church Judge Chamberlain was sitting in my sisters pew My seat was just ahead of him When I came in he mistook me for my sister and politely aroso and stepped into the aisle to let me into my sisters seat My husband often mistook my sister for myself To illustrate how easily he vas fooled I will recall the time when 1 dropped into my husbands store to pay him a call Judge Chamberlain sat there and I knew him well but my sister didnt As I entered leisurely my husband said Come In Mrs Turner and be seated I kept u straight face as long as I could until ho bad introduced me to the judge when a smile on my face let the cat out of the bag and then my husband discovered that he bad introduced his wife instead of Mrs Turner When we lived in Minot we studied French under Parson Jones One day I had a perfect lesson and sister did not know hers We shifted around and tho parson mistook me for sister and I recited the lesson for her and no one was the wiser We used to attend parties in my younger day and on one occasion when tho fellows came in after their girls I started off with sisters fellow and got quito a piece with him before I told him he WES mistaken mis-taken and had better go back after his girl Once at dusk Mr Coombs was going home from tho store He saw my sister on tho other side of the etreet and thought It was I Florella had a bundle under her arm which he mistook for a baby My husband thought i strange that I was out at that time with my baby and said to a clerk that he believed Frances > vas crazy and goin to drown tho baby I used too fool my children sometimes aftoi they got t bo quite large Whenever I wanted to go away my sister would come over to my house put on one of my dresses and stay with the children till I got back and they wouldnt know the difference Boston Globe |