The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-23
TALE OF A DARK FlREBUG.
TOLD ny A LITTLE MOTHER WHO
NEVER, NEVER FIBS.
he Came In (Sasked) when h Folks We're
Out and Threw n Lamp On the Graded
Twins Cradle Set Afro. Anyway-Po-
lice Alarm Sent Out for the Dark Man.

lice Alarm Sent Out for the DARK Man
OF course Lillian Addesso, who Is re-
sponsible for the essential part Of a story
in which the police took a lively interest
last night. may have been temporarily
~overpowered by her Imagination. but there
are other people who saw a dark, wicked
looking man rush from the house at 10
Marion street last night. Lillian says that
the man wore a black mask when he came
In, and wound up his visit by hurting a
lighted lamp into the cradle where her
twin brothers, Nicholas and Joseph, ~
. fire IL a fact, and II 10 also q fact that
every policeman In town was ordered to
look out for the dark man.
Lillian Is the ~nine-year-old daughter Of
Tony Addesso. who lives by running an
elevator. Besides Lillian and the twins
there are Rosie, 8 years old, and another
child. Addesso and his wife went out last
night at Q o'clock. with this last child, to
buy a pair Of shoes-even though II was
Sunday. The twins were left asleep in
their cradle in the Addessos' rooms on the
second floor; Rosie was asleep on q cot.
and Lillian was left in charge as acting
mother.
Soon after her parents went out. 40
Lillian says. a dark man. whose features
were at first concealed behind a black
mask, opened the door, stepped in and
demanded money.
Il have no money Lillian says she
answered.
Then, so her tale goes. the man picked
up the lamp from the table and. holding 1t
high in the air and looking toward the
cradle. said:
Quick now, the money. girl, or throw
Quickl'
But papa and mama are out and ! have
no money Lillian says she answered.
And hardly had she spoken these words
cradle and ran out and down stairs.
Then there was a fire. which had several
witnesses TO back IL up. William Mahoney,
the landlord of the house. alarmed by
Lillian's cries. rushed into the room and
oil from the lamp having been scattered
all over the cradle. Mahoney seized the
twins. half smothering the flames with a
blanket, and carried them out 10 the hall.
Lillian's dress was also afre, but that was
Ooon extinguishcd.
Somebody cent In a fire alarm and fire.
men soon put out the blaze. Then a doc
tor took a look at the wins One Of them
had o badly scratched thigh, but the other
wasn't hurt at all. Lillian. too, was un-
Her story about the dark man who threw
The lamp soon got 10 the Mulberry street
police station and Lillian was summoned
here to tell il. She said then hat he
man hadn't asked for money and con-
realed his face not with q mask. but with
his hand.
He Just came in said Lillian. and
aid: What's your namer ] told him
ny name and he said, oh, I'm glad TO
near it. because now III know who I'm
soing to burn all up And then he threw
he lamp
The police decided then that Lillian
had accidentally dropped the lamp
md was seeking a way to avoid a
by Papa Addesso. They took
! more serious view of II a few minutes
alter, however, when Matthew March,
Of Port Warden James r. March.
rent with several other men to the police
tation and said they had seen a man
answering the description given by Lillian
unning out OF the house just before the
Ire started. They cav him run up to
3roome street, they said, as II he was in
big hurry. The police then eent out an
larm TO every station in the city. IL de-
cribed the man as being about N years
Id, feet 10 inches tall weighing 10 pounds.
With dark complexion and black hair,
md wearing a dark sack suit.
Addesso said that Lillian never told fbs.