The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1924-01-24
MADMAN POSES
AS EVANGELIST
Stanley Pohalski Goes In
sane While at Work in
Simmons Plant.
is SENT TO ASYLUM
Wife Also Victim of Insanity,
Died in Mendoza in 1921;
Children in Orphanage.

\
mons plan late yesterday afternoon,
while more than fifty workmen, who
/ had been hastily summoned as a con-
gregation, listened intently to every
word and watched Cor the first sign OF
violence from the preacher.
1t was shortly after o'clock when
Stanley Pohalslri, 35 years old, bench
man in the department, first evidenced
his desire to preach. Adam zeyen,
/ superintendent of the department, hap
/ pened to be passing the bench where
| the man was working when his reason
snapped.
| Whirling on zeyen, he demanded the
right to preach, and realizing that he
was looking into the eyes of a mad
man. the superintendent Immediately
began gathering the impromptu au-
dience from the different parts Of the
shop, closely followed by P6halsk. He
was able, however, to successfully dis
patch one of the men for William SEN
ne, assistant employment supe~intend-
| emit
| The demented man had worked him
| self up to a pitch of high fcrvor as he
/ impaired the warning of translation to
| his audience" when Mr.. Senne, ac-
companied by Emil Clausen, captain of
police, and Patrolmen Barney Nc
Givern, William Long and Leo Buch-
mann entered. The swiftness Of the
! capture precluded any possibility OF
violence.
Pohalski was taken to police head
quarters where he was booked and then
transferred to the county Jail to await
the arrival of a sanity commission
which will report on his mental con-
dition. A search of the man revealed
the fact that he was carrying S94 il
bills, in addition to papers showing
stable bank account. He has been en-
ployed at the Simmons plant for the
past eight years.
Since the Ceath. of his wife in the
Mendoza hospital for the insane, in
July of 1921, Pohalski has been living
at a downtown hotel. The wife be-
came deranged following the birth of
his last child about four years ago.
Fever, coupled with the death of the
baby, is said to have made her mental
condition such that it was not con-
sidered safe to leave her5etwo .her.
children, a boy, now 9>years old, and
girl, age Z, in her care.
Following an examination by san
ity commission she was adjudged in
sane and committed to the state hos
pital, while the two children were
placed in st. Joheph's orphanage at
Milwaukee.
Stricken with grief, Pohalski is said
to have attempted to drown his sor-
rows in moonshine whisky. In spite of
his nightly lapses, however, he always
appeared at the plant with a head suf-
fciently clear to do his work in cred
ible fashion, and was considered good
workman.
After his wifes death he broke away
from the st. Casimir parish of which
he was a member, and it is said, be-
came one of the leaders in the organi-
cation of the Polish Independent
church at Grand avenue and Congress
street. This action was Immediately
resented on the part of five families,
who are cousins fof Pchclskl, and
staunch members of the st. Casimir
parish They refused to allow him to
enter their homes, and a solutely de-
MED him their society, it was stated.
FIR. Francis r. Czerwinski, rector of
the st. Casimir parish, who had placed
the children in the orphanage prior to
the time the father separated himself
from the church. continued to keep
the children in the institution, con-
tributing personally to their support.
The first record the police and sher-
ifs departments have of the man ap-
pears on the blotter on the End of last
September, when he was picked up by
Lieutenant Charles Rock and Detec-
tive John Breidt, after he had e.
moved one of his shoes and sent it
crashing through window at 924 Sher-
idan road. At that time he was booked
as insane.
After spending night in the county
jail, however, he again seemed mental
ly sound, and expressed sorrow over
his act. He claimed that he did not
remember having broken the glass, and
was consequently released upon max
ing restitution for the damage.
Last Friday he was again arrest on
a charge Of drunk and disorderly, and
was fined So and costs, upon payment
of which he was released.
Companions of Pohalski believe that
grief over his wife's insanity and sub
seauent death, together with the effects
of the constant drinking of moonshine,
in addition to the action of his close
friends and relatives in ostracizing him
following his remuneration Of the
church, led to his own mental break
down.
Mr.. Zeyen stated that while he al
ways did his work in a satisfactory
fashion, he had recently shown signs
of becoming unbalanced. On a number
of occasions he had fallen to the floor
in an unconscious condition.
Meanwhile the man PAGES a cell in
the county Jail where he is being clos
ely watched by his jailers. Firmly con-
yineed that he is to be translated from
earth to heaven he has removed all his
clothes in preparation for the coming
event. Unable to keep his clothed, the
sheriff has given orders to have his
cell kept warm.
Deputies. however, forced him to
don his clothing this morning. He is
to abe removed later in the day, to the
Northern Hoseital at Oshkosh He
was found to be insane by Drs. G. f.