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Sep 7, 2023 · In the early 20th century, a captivating yet heart-wrenching story unfolded, centered around two albino African-American brothers, George and Willie Muse. Their lives took a dramatic turn when they were plucked from a Virginia farm and thrust into the bright lights of the circus world.
Apr 13, 2001 · Eko and Iko were actually George Muse (1893-1971) and Willie Muse (1892-2001), two Albino African American “twin” brothers from Roanoke, Virginia. The lore is that they were kidnapped from their hometown as children, and taken on the road by first the Al G. Barnes Circus and then Ringling Brothers.
- They Were Dealt A Bad Hand
- They Were Exceptionally Rare
- They Were Going Blind
- They Had to Work The Fields
- They Were Allergic to The Sun
- They’Re Suffering Was Near at Hand
- Their Mother Had to Make A Sacrifice
- Their Mother Might Have Sold Them
- They Took Candy from Strangers
- They Were Supposed to Go Back Home
George and Willie Muse were the eldest children born to Harriet Muse in the late 19th century in the small town of Truevine, Virginia. As impoverished African-American sharecroppers in the Jim Crow south, the Muse Brothers never really had much of a chance to begin with. But then fate dealt them an even crueler hand. The STRANGE CASE of George and ...
Rare genetic conditions are exactly that: rare. Unless you’re one of the Muse brothers. Both George and Willie Muse were born with the rare genetic condition of albinism. Even though their condition left them with pale, “white-looking” skin, it only transformed them into greater curiosities. As Black men with unique complexions, the Muse brothers b...
From the day they were born, albinism affected how the world saw George and Willie. In an even crueler twist of fate, however, another rare condition would affect how the Muse brothers saw the world. Not only did they suffer from albinism but George and Willie also had nystagmus; a condition that would, slowly and gradually, make them blind. This, ...
Given their adverse health conditions, George and Willie suffered from the beginning. Their albinism prevented them from spending too much time in the punishing Virginia sun so they weren’t much help in the fields. Nevertheless, to make ends meet, they did their best to help out the family by pulling their own weight. But then the other shoe droppe...
One of the many symptoms of nystagmus is sensitivity to light—not exactly something that a sharecropper can afford to have. The Muse Brothers’ nystagmus was so severe that, before either of them had even reached double digits, they already had forehead furrows from squinting against the bright sun. The two men undoubtedly had it rough—but it was ab...
What happened to George and Willie next is a matter of some debate. There are two versions of events but, from the sounds of it, each is just as bad as the other. Either way, one thing is clear: The Muse Brothers’ days under the protective watch of their mother were coming to an end...and their life of misery and exploitation was about to begin. Th...
According to some versions of the story, Harriet, the Muse Brothers’ mother, couldn’t afford to take care of the boys any longer. Despite the fact that she loved them, she feared what would happen to her albino sons in the racially divided Jim Crow Virginia. She knew that the boys weren’t going to make it as sharecroppers and hoped a different life...
Allegedly, in an ironic twist for a couple of African American boys, Harriet sold her sons to save them from the terrible life they would have had as sharecroppers. The story goes that she sold them to circus promoter, James Herman “Candy” Shelton when his circus passed through town.But there’s another version of events that’s even more sinister. T...
Another version of events explains how James Herman Shelton got the nickname “Candy”. This darker story asserts that one day, when the boys were out in the fields alone, Shelton lured them away from safety with candy. This is no Hansel and Gretel fairytale, however. Once Shelton had successfully lured the boys away, they wouldn’t be making a magica...
The real version of events is likely somewhere between these two extremes. It’s likely that Harriet allowed Shelton to promote her sons as an attraction while his circus was in town. She may even have accepted payment in candy. However, instead of returning the Muse Brothers safely home, it seems that Shelton simply drove off with them, effectively...
Aug 25, 2021 · In the comfort of their home, the brothers were known to tell rambling stories of their harrowing misadventure. George Muse died of heart failure in 1972 while Willie carried on until 2001 when he died at the age of 108.
- Morgan Dunn
The book tells the story of George and Willie Muse, two African-American brothers who were kidnapped and forced to perform as sideshow attractions because they were albinos. Truevine was released on October 18, 2016 through Little, Brown and Company .
Feb 5, 2018 · George and Willie Muse were two African-American brothers who were allegedly kidnapped and forced to perform as sideshow attractions because they were albinos.
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Oct 18, 2016 · In her new book Truevine, journalist Beth Macy tells the story of George and Willie Muse, brothers kidnapped by a circus agent to become sideshow performers, and their mother Harriett, who...
