DOUBLE LYNCHING

Hokitika Guardian, 28 November 1933, Page 5

DOUBLE LYNCHING

OF U.S. KIDNAPPERS

ACTION BY INFURIATED MOB. United Press Association—By Electric leu>Qape. —(Jupyrignc. j /SAN FRANCISCO, November 26. The body 0 i Brooke Hart, tli, e kidnapped Varsity student, whose mur'Uer was caoied on November 16, has oeen found by two duck hunters in the bay to-day. It was badly battered and mutilated, but was identified by the clothing. The State officials expected that the finding of the remains would prove to make an ironclad case against the kidnappers.

An infuriated mob surged round the' barricades of the county gaol at San Jose, trying to seize Holmes and Thurmond, who confessed themselves the slayers of Brooke Hart. The crowd wer® driven back by tear gas bombs, Thousands of people flocked to the scene by all means of locomotion. Finally the mob got inside the gaol. Thurmond and Holmes, were dragged across the street from the gaol and were both hanged from a tree,

The lynching was witnessed by some six thousand people. The crowd were jeering as the pair wore hanging.

Hart was the son of Mr Alex J. Hart, a wealthy business man. He was kidnapped on November 9, and, according to a confession by the abductors, he was thrown into San Francisco Bay, ■ after which they made a forty thousand dollars ransom demand o n the father. They said they killed him to get him out of the way.

CROWD'S ROUGH TREATMENT

BEATEN TO “BLOODY MASSES.”

(Received this day at 10.15 a.m.) SAN FRANCISCO, November 27.

Despite- police efforts, the infuriated mob at 11 o’clock in the evening stormed the San Jose gaol and took Holmes and Thurmond, the confessed slayers, to a nearby park and hanged them to death.

Since the time the youth’s body was found, a menacing mob gathered at the gaol about 10 o’clock, and attempted to storm the bujlcling but the police repulsed them with tear gas bombs. All avniable reserves were called out, but the mob persisted and, finally, when the gas supply was exhausted, and before more was available from San Francisco, the mob battered the door down, and dragged the murderers to the street where their clothes were stripped from them. They were beaten and kicked until both were bloody masses. Ropes circled their necks and eager hands of men Women and child* veil pulled the- .ropes, hanging over the branches.

Apparently both dmd quickly. Holmes appeared unconscious when strung up, but Thurmond was fully conscious. As he struggled, the crowd shouted: “How do you like it?” and howled with glee.