The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-22
PLAGSTONES BURNED HIS FEET
THREE.YEAR-OLD FRANK MA
DRESSI DIES OF SHOCK.
The Bricks In the Top Of an Oven Beneath
the Sidewalk Had Fallen Out and the
Flames Had Played on the Underside
OF the FlagEing-The Boy Was Barefoot

OF the Fla gEing-The Boy Was Barefoot
Resting in a little coffin in the rear of an
Italian grocery at IS Carroll street, Brook
Ign, the body of three-year-old Frank
Madressi was viewed yesterday by thou
sands of men. women and children. OF
all OF the children in Brooklyns Little
Italy, none was known in the neighborbood
as we'll as frankie Madressi. He could
mimic folks like an actor and although he
had just learned to talk he was able to en-
terrain grown folks with street songs and
stories. In Little Italy it was said yes
terday that folks often borrowed him for
an hour or two just to be entertained.
Monday evening frankie got his first
pair of knee brooches. He was extremely
proud of them and went through the neigh
borhood calling other children's attention to
them.
I'm a man now, he said,
Then he went around through Hicks
street shouting to strangers:
Hey, did you know dot new pants?'
In the meantime his mother, Mrs. Martin
Madressi, the wife of the Carroll street
grocer. was searching for her boy because
he had run out of the house without his
shoes or stockings. She had just taken
his skirts of and had tried the knee breeches
on him to see how he would look in them.
But he was so anxious to let other folks
see hint hat he had darted out Of the store.
After going through Hicks street he turned
back into Carroll street and walked toward
his home, continuing to exhibit his breeches
to those who would stop to look at them.
When within few doors of his home, OPP
posite 10 Carroll street, he stopped and
L.,
there was any one there to whom he might
show his new clothes He had gone but
few steps when he jumped up with
scream and fell on the sidewalk. A woman
who was passing ran to him. just as she
TO to a%d bes up aoo With hsT
feet upon the Tagging. She finally caught
hold Of his arm and dragged him into the
roadway. Then she screamed and q crowd
Of excited men and women came.
MY God!" she exclaimed, there's fire
beneath the sidewalk! Quick, get the
fire enginee!"
She stood the boy on his feet and he fell
Then he got up without assistance and ran
into his fathers store, two doors below.
The woman who had rescued him and the
There they explained that frankie had had
his feet burned by stepping on hot tagging
in front of 10 Carroll street. DR.. Thomas
l.. Fogarty of 230 Union street found the
child in. commissions. Flesh had been
burned from the soles of his feet. The
police found that the tagging in front Of
10 Carroll street was directly over bakers
oven. The baker, Joseph opposite, said
he could not account for the hot tagging
OF the walk. An oven builder was then
sent for and he found there was an old
fashioned oven under the sidewalk.
The fire which heated ii had been built
right inside of the oven, az was the custom
years ago The brick ceiling of the oven
had caved in at point directly over the
fire, 80 that the flames from the fuel beat
up against the tagging of the sidewalk,
making the flag stones hot enough to roast
anything. The heated flags were near the
stoop line and 30, though they probably
had been hot for an hour or two, nobody
had discovered it until the barefoot child
stepped on them.
All night long DR.. Fogarty worked over
the child, but frankie died Yesterday morn