07/05/2024
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These are the Muse Brothers. Their biological names are George and Willie Muse. They were two albino brothers; the grandsons of former slĂ ves and sons of to***co sharecroppers born in Roanoke, Virginia, in the 1890âs.
In 1899 George and Willie Muse were kidn@pped as boys in Truevine, Virginia by bounty hunters and were forced into the circus, labeled as âfrèak showâ performers. Upon their cĂ pture, they were falsely told that their mother was dèad and that they would never return home .
Their owners showcased the brothers in circuses where they were exploited for profit in so-called freak shows. The Muse Brothers became famous across the United States as âEko and Ikoâ, the âWhite Ecuadorian C@nnibalsâ, the âSheep Headed Menâ, the âSheep Headed C@nnibalsâ, the âMinisters from Dahomeyâ and âAmbassadors from Marsâ.
George and Willie were forced to grow their hair into massive âdreadlocksâ which together with their white skin and blĂšish eyes were exhibited as rĂ rities. They were also billed as âDarwinâs Missing Linksâ and âNatureâs Greatest Mistakesâ. The boys were not permitted to go to school, neither were they paid for their work. They were literally kept in slĂ very, earning nothing despite thousands of people who paid to see them. Their only rewards were clownish attire they wore for the shows and food meant to keep the âassetsâ alive.
One of their owners had found that George and Willie harboured the ability to play any song on almost any instrument, from the xylophone to the saxophone and mandolin, and that made them even more famous and more valuable âassetsâ to owners of travelling circuses. However, after all this time, their illitèrate mother had not ceased looking for her boys.
In the fall of 1927, the brothers were on a tour with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey to Roanoke, little did the boys know they were coming home from which they had disĂ ppeared nearly three decades back. It came to their motherâs attention that the The Greatest Show On Earth are performing by her own sons.