It's useful to remember a couple of things when reading the following report from The Chariton Leader of January 5, 1932.
When the state-of-the-art Ritz Theater was built on the south side of the Chariton square in 1927, live vaudeville acts were interspersed with movies to keep theater-goers entertained. Quite often, the entertainers were overnight guests at the Hotel Charitone.
This also was an era when it still was considered appropriate for those with physical anomalies to be propelled onto stages as entertainment attractions, as was the case of the Filipino Godino twins, Simplicio and Lucio, 23 going on 24 and booked for Sunday and Monday, Jan. 3 and 4, performances at the Ritz.
That's a bit of background to explain how a Chariton news reporter happened to sit down with the twins and their wives, identical twins Nativad and Victoria Matos, probably near noon on Jan. 4, to conduct the interview reported as follows under the headline, "Life Story of Godino Twins is Tale of High Education and Vaudeville Experience."
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It was a little difficult, this task of interviewing Siamese twins, and your interviewer was somewhat abashed as he introduced himself first to Simplicio and then to Lucio, as they sat, both on one chair, in the main dining room of the Hotel Charitone.
Mrs. Simplicio Godino sat across the table from her husband while Mrs. Lucio Godino was seated in a similar position on the far side of a second table. In between the two tables, which were closely drawn together, sat Simplicio and Lucio on an ordinary chair.
Both drew well loaded packs of Camel cigarets from their pockets as they prepared to return a barrage of questions. Since Simplicio was nearest and faced the interviewer to him fell the task of answering the majority of the questions while Lucio interjected a phrase now and then.
The twins were born in March 24 years ago to normal parents. Two children had preceded them in birth and they were the third and fourth children to be born. Their mother died when the two twins were six years old, dying as she gave birth to a fifth child.
The two boys lived normallives in every respect and attended South high school of Manilla, P.I., and they followed this course with two years of commercial work in the University of the Philippines.
It was during their days as students in south high school that they met and fell in love with their wives. An interesting note is added in the fact that the two women are sisters.
Approximately 10 years ago the two boys were adopted by a Filipino millionaire who saw the twins in New York City. This benefactor was then a resident commissioner for the Philippines, located in the Congress of the United States.
Their education was perfected in St. John's college in Washington, D.C. They speak English perfectly as a result of their education in this American school.
Engagements on vaudeville circuits followed rapidly after their graduation by the St. John's school and they have appeared on the stage for 32 weeks on the Radio Keith Orpheum circuit, and indefinite runs on the Paramount Publix, Warner Brothers and Canadian Players circuits.
They have no distaste for the curiosity that is evinced by their appearance although they have an absolute hatred of any forms of pity.
The tissue that binds the two twins together is such that medical experts at the Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C., and the John Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, Md., declared that separation by surgery would be possible. Remembrance of the fate of previous Siamese twins who have attempted separation by the knife only to die following the operation has a small part in the refusal of the Godino twins to submit to an operation.
Their greatest reason lies in the ancient Bible belief of "What God has joined let no man put asunder."
The troupe consists of a pianist, a manager and the Godino twins and their wives. The pianist has a small part in the performance, singing several songs in a manner so atrocious as to be laughable and also directs the applause from the audience. The Godino brothers dance, roller skate and play the saxophone while a native Filipino dance by the wifes of the twins completes the performance.
Hoping to find a subject that might be discussed on safe grounds by both interviewed and interviewer, the question of Filipino independence was asked in an attempt find the opinion of the twins on the matter. The boys had evidently had experience with this question for they avoided it adroitly by answering that they were vaudeville entertainers, not politicians.
The grapefruit was just beginning to arrive in the first course of the dinner and the interview was being rapidly drawn to a close. Cigarets were abandoned as the Godinos began to attack the grapefruit. As your correspondent edged toward the door, Simplicio called out a cherry "Happy New Year."
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The narrative provided here about the twins' background is accurate, but a little confusing. The twins were born into an impoverished Filipino family, then taken charge of by a promoter at the age of 10 and brought to New York to be exploited as a sideshow attraction.
The U.S. courts intervened and took custody of the boys who then were brought to the attention of Teodoro Yangco, Philippine resident commissioner in Washington, D.C. He was indeed a millionaire, took custody of the twins and then adopted them, providing the advantages their birth family could not.
This story does not end happily. During November of 1936, Lucio became ill with rheumatic fever and died on the 24th. He was separated surgically from his twin and the operation was a success, but Simplicio died on Dec. 8 of spinal meningitis. I don't know what became of their widows.
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