From Abduction to Reunion: How the Muse Brothers Were Lost for 28 Years

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

George and Willie Muse, popularly known as the Muse Brothers, were two African American albino siblings born in the 1890s in Roanoke, Virginia, to a family of tobacco sharecroppers. They were the grandsons of formerly enslaved people and grew up in a society deeply shaped by racial injustice and exploitation.

In 1899, while still children, the brothers were abducted in Truevine, Virginia, by bounty hunters and forced into the travelling circus world. They were falsely told that their mother had died and that they would never return home. From that point, George and Willie were exhibited as so-called “freak show” performers, a practice common in the era but widely condemned today.

Circus owners marketed the brothers under various dehumanising stage names, including “Eko and Iko”, the “White Ecuadorian Cannibals”, the “Sheep-Headed Men”, “Ministers from Dahomey” and even “Ambassadors from Mars”. Their albinism, white skin and light-coloured eyes were presented as curiosities, while they were also labelled with offensive descriptions such as “Darwin’s Missing Links”.

The brothers were forced to grow their hair into long dreadlocks and were denied basic rights. They received no formal education and were not paid for their labour, despite generating significant profits for circus operators. Kept in conditions akin to slavery, their only provisions were food and costumes required for performances.

It later emerged that George and Willie were exceptionally gifted musicians, capable of playing almost any instrument, including the xylophone, saxophone and mandolin. This talent further increased their value to circus owners and contributed to their fame across the United States.

Unbeknown to them, their mother never stopped searching. In the autumn of 1927, the brothers returned to Roanoke as part of a tour with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Learning that the famous circus was in town, their mother confronted the powerful organisation, defying both social expectations and institutional authority.

In a dramatic reunion, she found her sons performing on stage, nearly three decades after their disappearance. Against significant odds, the impoverished and marginalised woman successfully reclaimed her children and took them home, bringing an end to 28 years of exploitation.

The story of the Muse Brothers remains a powerful reminder of racial injustice, human resilience and a mother’s determination to reunite her family despite overwhelming obstacles.