An Abridged Timeline: The Infamous Life of T. Charles Kobella and his Notorious Polski Hotel: Part 4

Bad Behavior & Burials

Note that this work is incomplete.The timelines we write are meant to be fluid and changing. That is one of the reasons they are described as abridged. Not only do we not include all the details in them, but there is always more to find, and always more to write. Overtime more sources are found, more stories are heard, and more tips are followed until a full article is ready to be written.

It has indeed been a moment since we had a chance to check in with Mr. Kobella, but it is quite apparent things aren’t going all that well for the Kobella family by this point. They had lost their only daughter, Augusta had been in and out of the asylum, Charles had been declared an alcoholic and insane, and the Polski Hotel still lacked a license!

Business Directory, City of Stevens Point 1912

1912 City Directory, Kobella, Chas, bicycle shop, 245 N Second Street, res same; Kobella John, apprentice, res 245 N Second Street

Feb 1912 License requested for the Kobella Building by Carl Hansen and James Leonard, Mayor Walters said, “that he would not allow a saloon in that building, the Kobella building, which has given the police and the mayor so much trouble, so long as he was mayor…”

SPDJ March 14, 1912

Mar 1912, Augusta Kobella taken back to asylum by a “lady attendant.” She “had been out on parole for several months.”

April 1912 Augusta Kobella recommitted “and later sent to Weyauwega, having been judged incurable.” It isn’t clear from what dear Augusta was not curable, earlier there are mentions of epilepsy, but nothing has been verified.

Waupaca County Insane Asylum, Circa 1907, This is what Augusta saw when she arrived.

Waupaca County Insane Asylum, Weyauwega, Wisconsin circa 1930s, www.wigenweb.org

Sept 11, 1913, The Last Known Raid: Kobella Hotel, Notorious Resort is Raided Again! Four arrested. Mrs. Mary Cychosz, Mrs Georgia Halverson, Miss RA Burns who claimed to be from Marquette, Michigan., and Mr. Glen Sawyer of Fond du Lac. Cychosz paid fine of $54.59 for selling liquor without a license and “was given a sharp lecture in which she was warned that if ever charged with the same offense that she would get a state prison sentence as well as a fine.” Mary Cychosz was married to John Cychosz, presumably who Kobella ran his bike shop with in 1900. They were reported to be living on Portage Street in 1915.

SPDJ Sept 11, 1913

Nov 1913 Kobella and Mattice have a vicious argument, enough so that Kobella took him to court and had him charged with abusive language.

SPDJ Nov 19,1913

Feb 17, 1914 Mrs. Kobella Dead! Local lady passes away at Weyauwega Asylum, Augusta was brought home to Stevens Point and buried in St Peters Cemetery 

SPDJ, Feb 17, 1914

CHARLES KOBELLA DEAD!

April 4, 1914, Charles Kobella dies at 58 years old, “death was the result of liver trouble and general physical breakdown,” ending the

SPDJ April 4, 1914

Joe Mattice ended up blacklisted, drunk, and destitute or “Posted, Pickled, and Pinched,” as a headline said. By 1916 he had been arrested numerous times for a variety of offenses in the five years since his wife had died. Their only daughter, Florence, was adopted by his sister around 1917 after he began to neglect her. He remarried in 1921 and had two more children. He died in 1927 of what was likely congestive heart failure at the Soldier’s Home in Milwaukee but was brought home to be buried at St. Peter’s. He was 46 years old. Florence, later married and began a life of her own, far away from her grandfather’s notorious house of ill repute. 

Joseph Mattice, dod 1927, Find a Grave.com

Is there more to the story? Absolutely! As mentioned, our timelines are fluid and ever changing. We want to note that we never found any hard connections to prove that the establishment was ever run as a true brothel like the over 100 years of rumors suggest. There are a few sources that have not been fully researched as of yet (Like The Wendell Nelson Papers), but none of the newspaper articles regarding any one associated with the Kobellas mentioned any of the usual names used in the media to describe “houses of ill repute.”

We’ll let you know if we make any significant discoveries about our friend, Mr. Kobella or dear Augusta. But for the moment, here ends our timeline of the infamous times and trials of T Charles Kobella and his Polski Hotel.

However, this isn’t the end of the story of the building itself. Where there are endings, there are often new beginnings, as there was with the property on N Seconds Street…

Stevens Point Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1912

March 1916, Emil Belke starts making plans to build a new wood working factory at 247 N Second Street

SPDJ March 4, 1916

Watch for the next installment, “Belke & the Building“
Coming Soon

An Abridged Timeline: The Infamous Life of T. Charles Kobella and his Notorious Polski Hotel: , Part 2

Booze & Boarders

Note that this work is incomplete.The timelines we write are meant to be fluid and changing. That is one of the reasons they are described as abridged. Not only do we not include all the details in them, but there is always more to find, and always more to write. Overtime more sources are found, more stories are heard, and more tips are followed until a full article is ready to be written.

The view looking north on N Second Street across from where Kobella’s Polski Hotel stood. The hotel building would be just to the low right in this photo. The “new” Ciecholinski Blacksmith building in the center (west corner of N Second and Portage Street) and CL Servis paint shop to the left. Circa 1900. June 1958 SPDJ clipping courtesy of Frankie Jurgella owner of Frank and Ernie’s at 925 N Second Street.

When we last left Mr. Charles Kobella, he was just embarking in the hotel business and starting on his true path to notoriety…

Aug 19, 1903

Apr 1905, Kobella arrested for drunk and disorderly, had been out with friends in the country and came back into town drunk, paid his $5 fine ($159.05 today)

June 1905 Wisconsin Census lists, Charles Kobella 44, Gusta 39, Martha 17, John 12, Frank 10, 4 male boarders, and 86 year old female servant, Mary Yarjeski.

June 1905 Wisconsin Census

July 1905 Kobella and Volenty Witczek REFUSED by the committee for a liquor license

Aug 1905, license refused again, tried to put it in an employee’s name, N. Wolosik, “an irresponsible young man in Kobela’s employ.” The newspaper called it “an institution that has caused the police department and the fathers and mothers of the Fourth ward much anxiety and trouble for some time.” The police chief reported that Kobella laughed in his face when they tried to regulate the “hotel of questionable character.” The Polski Hotel had been open just two years at this point!

Sept 1905 Kobella arrested for selling liquor without a license and “fined $50 and costs, a total of $53.50, or the price of 10,700 glasses of beer.” $53.50 would be $1,663.16 or 10,700 15 cent beers today

Sept 19, 1905 SPDJ

Oct 1905 License denied for the third time in the year!!  The newspaper called the hotel “an institution of unsavory reputation.”

Nov 1905  License applied for in Mike Strelavag’s name, refused again. AGAIN!

In Dec 1905  Frank Kluck was successful in getting a license for the Kobella Hotel, but wanted out by February of the following year. Kluck quit and took his license, as well as any profits, also leaving Kobella with a hefty bank note according to reports. “Saloon licenses are not transferable either as to location or proprietorship.” Which meant Kobella couldn’t legally operate and Kluck couldn’t move his license to another building.

SPDJ, Feb 1907

Feb 1907, A young woman known as “Black Rose” attempts suicide the street by drinking carbolic acid but survives! She had worked at the Kobella hotel until August of 1906, but “was taken in hand by Chief Leahy and advised to leave the city.” She went to Fond du Lac but had returned and attempted suicide on the street in front of Worzella’s dry goods store. She was “without funds and was despondent and had been advised a certain party to end it all with carbolic acid and had been furnished with money to buy it with.” Horribly, carbolic acid was a common way to commit suicide at the time, and easily available. Note this is the first actual account of possible prostitution at the Polski Hotel noted in the newspapers as far as we know.

July 1907 Kobella arrested for assault and battery of Mary Witczek at the hotel property. “Alleges that the defendant severely beat and bruised her…After the alleged assault, the woman had a fit at engine house No. 1 and was placed in the calaboose.” Very likely the wife of Volenty or Valentine Witczek, mentioned before as one the names for the first known license that was refused. They lived on the south side of town on Patch Street. Was Mary “working” at Kobella’s?

Nov 1907, The state picked up the Witczek case but DISMISSED it in the end. Kobella paid a fine of $37.95.

Dec 1907 Kobella arrested AGAIN for an assault that took place at his saloon at 2am. AB Klestinski, brought warrant, but eventually settled out of court in January.  This is the fourth assault he is involved with for those of you keeping track.

1908 City Directory, Kobella, T.C. & Co, hotel and saloon, 245 N. Second Street, Kobella T. Charles; Kobella, Martha, domestic, 245 N. Second Street

1908 City Directory

March 1908 Kobella denied license again after the testimony of Judge Murat and Police chief Leahy. That same month his application for citizenship was denied while three others were immediately approved. “Judge JA Murat, Sheriff Frank Guyant, and Chief of police John Lehy were called as witnesses for the government…” Kobella didn’t even wait in court to find out if his application was approved. He left before they even finished the proceedings.

April 1908, A false engagement of Martha Kobella and Walter Bernklau was announced in the SPDJ, but was publicly denied the next day by Martha.

May 1909, Kobella bought the old Curran house “bus” and had it “repainted and relettered, ‘Hotel Polski.’”

The Sellers Hotel’s Omnibus as an example (This building was also known as the Denver Hotel) SPDJ June 1958

July 1909, Kobella denied again! Fifty-one applicants and two brewers’ license. The committee recommended licensing them all except for “Kobella’s Hotel Polski.”

Oct 1909, Surprise! Liquor license denied for the property again. Peter Broski applied this round.

Oct 1909 Martha Kobella and well-known local Spanish war hero, Joe Mattice are married, ironically, by Judge Murat at the Hotel Denver, where they are both employed and living. They soon move to Milwaukee where Joe takes a job “in a factory at Milwaukee’s big suburb.” You can read a bit about the Hotel Denver building, also known as Hotel Sellers as well as a few other names, here.

The Denver Hotel, UWSP/PCHS

Watch for Part 3 coming soon!

Read Part 1 here

An Abridged Timeline: JJ Bukolt’s Pleasure Yacht, The Nymphea

In April 1916 the riverboat Nymphea was built for JJ Bukolt by his employees in his Automatic Cradle Factory. It was the largest pleasure boat on the river at the time in the area, could carry 80 passengers, had a kitchen and a toilet on board. It is often referred to as Bukolt’s yacht in the papers.

Stevens Point Journal Photo

Official Gala Launch, July 3rd 1916 (pictured): Several hundred people attended the event. The boat was hauled by horse and cart to the river at the end of Main Street and launched into the Wisconsin River.

Stevens Point Journal Photo

July 15, 1916: The boat caught fire 2 weeks after maiden voyage causing significant damage, but not sinking the boat. The fire was blamed on oily rags tucked under the rear deck at the back of the engine that apparently had spontaneously combusted. The cabin was the most damaged, but the hull was sound. The fire was reported in numerous Wisconsin Newspapers. The watercraft was immediately cleaned up and put back to work with in two days. Papers mention that is was chartered for a picnic the next day, it unlikely made that date since they didn’t have it back in the water until Sunday. That day it is said the boat ferried 500 people to an island event.

In the fall of 1916 The Nymphea was pulled in to be dismantled and rebuilt of over the winter at Bukolt’s factory.

Summer of 1917: Bukolt’s riverboat was rebuilt with a Ford Model T engine. The ship was enlarged and specialties were added. A player piano was brought on board and a 12 foot deck with a canopy was added at the stern giving the Nymphea a classic riverboat appearance. Once again the boat was launched into the Wisconsin River.

The Nymhea was used as transportation for many picnics and events that were held on Martin’s Island and at Waterworks Park. There are numerous mentions of it’s use in the newspapers. It seems Bukolt was generous with his boat and often lent it for use to ferry riders to the islands.

In July 1917, a 9 boy drowned while waiting for the Nymphea at the dock at the end of Main Street. He was playing with friends, slipped, and fell into the water. None of them could swim and efforts made to save the boy were too late. It is the only known death associated with the boat while it was still on the water.

In November of 1919 The Nymphea almost went over the Consolidated dam but was luckily saved by paper mill employees when they shut the damn gates slowing the water. It is said that the boat hovered over the edge of the water fall and was pulled to safety with the use of a pole. It This is one of the last articles mentioning the boat.

Stevens Point Journal

The Nymphea seems to disappears from the papers after the fall of 1923 with no mention of it being permanently docked or why. John J Bukolt died in 1929. But that is not where the story of the legendary riverboat ends.

Follow the story with the second part of the time line here