The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton: A True Story of Conjoined Twins Read Online Free Page B

believed that she was deserving of canonization. Soon, however, some of her neighbors and patrons began to suspect that maybe Mary had not adopted the twins entirely out of pureness of heart, but rather because she felt it might be good for business. Day and night, people queued at the Queen’s Arms’ door, waiting for a chance to see “Brighton’s United Twins.” It had also become apparent why Mary had invited a newspaper reporter to observe the christenings. She was hoping for some free advertising. The
Brighton Herald
obliged. It concluded one of its stories about Daisy and Violet with this plug:
    Brighton’s United Twins are thriving abundantly, as persons interested may ascertain for themselves on giving Mrs. Hilton a call any day between eleven and seven at the Queen’s Arms at 8 George Street. The twins are not really on public view, but Mrs. Hilton is prepared to let interested persons see them. And they can bring away a souvenir in the form of a photograph of them as they lie in their perambulator all in readiness for one of their periodic airings. 15

Two

A SURPRISING GIFT FOR SHOWMANSHIP
    T he grown-together babies swiftly became a cause célèbre not just in Brighton, but in all of England. Within days after the
Brighton Herald
reported on “Brighton’s Siamese Twins—An Extraordinary Birth,” the story was picked up by other regional newspapers, including the
Yorkshire Observer
, the
Leicester Daily Post
, and the
Leeds Mercury
. These accounts were retold by other papers, and, in turn, reprinted by still others.
    The Queen’s Arms came to be regarded as a national shrine of sorts, with Mrs. Mary Hilton its presiding saint-in-residence. Callers from every part of England flocked to the pub, a handsome two-story white stucco building with a bowed, mullioned window overlooking George Street. Many of the visitors were tourists already in the resort town for a holiday. But others, as though on a religious pilgrimage, came to Brighton expressly to see the freak sisters and the remarkable woman who had taken them into her care.
    As long as the callers were willing to drop some coins into her tin, Mary was happy to interrupt her saloon work and lead them to the family living quarters where Daisy and Violet were always on view. Their naps were often disturbed as Mary lifted their gowns and pulled down their diapers to show the curious how the children were joined. It is impossible to know if these public barings caused psychological stress to the sisters during their infancy, of course. But by the time theyreached the toddler stage, Daisy and Violet would reveal years later, they suffered shame each time their backsides were exposed to strangers:

    Violet and Daisy in their christening gowns, 1908. (Author’s collection)
    Our earliest and only recollections are the penetrating smell of brown ale, cigars and pipes, and the movements of the visitors hands which were foreverlifting our baby clothes to see just how we were attached to each other. The customers could not be convinced that it was no fake, and they often lifted the baby clothes in order to find out whether or not there was some trick about our odd condition. This exhibition lasted for years and years.… It is little wonder that we can remember … so deeply is the memory of it impressed on our minds.” 1
    Mary encouraged every visitor to take a souvenir, a two-penny picture postcard showing the United Brighton Twins in their pram. The coins that the curious plinked into Mary’s tin added up to sizable sums by the end of each day, but that was just one reason for the rise in her fortunes. The Queen’s Arms was now always swarming with new customers.
    In addition to her newfound source of income, Mary Hilton was now widely regarded as a bona fide saint. In their Sunday sermons, Brighton’s ministers referred to Mary as a heavenly helper, a selfless spirit of virtue, humility, and piety. The newspapers were equally adoring. They characterized