Fire At Goodnows IV - And No Potatoes Accepted!

This is the last of the fires that hit the stables behind the Goodnow building, at least up until 1924. Quite a string of bad luck, no?


Boston Daily Globe January 22, 1917


Three Horses Suffocated

Perished in Fire on the Second Floor of Brick Stable on Centre st, Jamaica Plain

Three horses were suffocated in a fire yesterday afternoon on the second floor of a 2 1/2-story brick stable in the rear of 704 Centre st, Jamaica Plain. The building is the property of the Goodnow estate, of which the Old Colony Trust Company is the trustee.

The origin of the fire is unknown. A few minutes after 1 o'clock passersby saw smoke coming out of the windows, but the alarm was not rung for some minutes, because of the inablilty of the spectators to determine whether there was a fire.

when the apparatus arrived the building was enveloped in clouds of smoke, and it was utterly impossible to rescue the horses. Wagons and other vehicles were taken out from the street floor, but the fire was under control before anything in the lower part of the building was damaged.

One of the horses was the property of John Mahoney and the other two belonged to George Jiaris, who are the lessees of the property. The damage to the building was about $900; the horses were valued at $400.



Boston Daily Globe March 2, 1917


Black Hander Demands $10,000

Letter Tacked on Shop Door in Jamaica Plain

Mahoney, the Receiver, Believes the Missive Only a Joke


A black hand letter, threatening to destroy his stable and blacksmith shop if he did not place $10,000 on the floor, inside of the shop doorway last night, was the startling ultimatum which John P. Mahoney of Jamaica Plain found tacked on door when he went to open his smithy at 716 Centre st Jamaica Plain, yesterday. The notice was scrawled with a lead pencil.

The wording and spelling indicated that it may have been the work of a practical joker, although there is a reference made to a mysterious fire which only six weeks ago destroyed three valuable horses at Mr Mahoney's stable.

The notice read a follows.

"Dere Mr John Mahoney. Youd better leave $10,000 on the flor inside the door of this shak tonite or well burn the shak down again."

The words were followed by a crude skull and cross bones and a sprawled signature, "Gyp the Blood."

At the bottom of the paper, which was about six inches square, was a postscript: "No Potatoes Accepted."

Last night at his home, 84 Seaverns av, Mr Mahoney said he believed the letter was the prank of some child. "I have no enemies that I know of," he said, "and where in the world would I get $10,000." It must be a joke."

The notice was left on the door of the shop until late afternoon, when it was torn down by Mr Mahoney's daughter, Anna.

The police are interested in the letter because of the reference to the fire, no satisfactory cause for it having been found.