Imperial Valley press., 1933-11-28
PROSECUTIONS
At SAN JOSE
No 7 LIKELY
Continued From Page II

Jewish rabbi and the eulogy was
delivered by a Jesuit priest. Hart
had attended Santa Clara univerSi-
f ty Jesuit institution near here
Many of his classmates formed a
guard of honor as the hearSe pro-
/ ceeded to the Jewish cemetery.
Mrs Alex Hart. mother Of the
kidnapping victim. was in seclusion.
She was denied the opportunity Of
seeing the body. Friends advised
her to remember Brooke as he
was" His body had been attacked
by marine life during its 17-day
immersion in San Francisco bay.
Identification had been difficult.
Both Mrs. Hart and Mrs Lillian
Thurmond. mother Of the younger
victim of the lyncherS, were report
ed prostrated. Mrs. Thurmond S
condition was said to be critical as
the result of shock.
In her behalf. Oscar Goldstein.
an attorney, issued a statement
which said that her son was "un-
balanced mentally because of a Sc
we're head injury in childhood. -
"A year ago it became Pre-
nounced.' the statement read
1--WE discussed the advisability Of
sending him to an institution. We
felt he was entirely deranged.'
Goldstein also claimed that Thur
mond was insane.
He had no understandable con-
ception of the part he played in
the crime, the attorney said
Goldstein said that the family did
not plan to prosecute the lynchers
because it would be "uSeless.
Holmes father. a respected tailor
here, insisted that his son was in
nocent. The widow of the lynching
victim and his aged mother made
the same statement. The father
had visited the prisoner few
hours before the mob formed.
"Our boy was innocent - the
tailor said. "They forced him to
confess something he never did
They told him if he did not con-
fesS they would turn him over tc
the mob-the mob which finally
got him
Claim Innocence
1--WE know he was innocent. We
know where he was on November 9.
the night Hart disappeared. I
can prove almost every minute of
it.
Unlike Mrs. Thurmond. Jack
Holmes mother seemed in COM
plete control of her emotions.
HE was innocent and if it takes
until we join him in death, We will
prove it to the world Mrs. Holmes
said.
Neither the Holmes nor the
Thurmond families announced plans
for burial of the victims. The bod
les lay side by side in the city
morgue. The coroner denied re-
ports that a mob had tried to break
in and burn them.
Deputies and prisoners revealed
that the mob had sought another
victim. Tony Serpa, awaiting SEN
tence for killing a ranch foreman.
Lets get Serpa too, he should
hang" some one shouted according
to jail attaches.
"When the crowd surged upstairs
it was yelling for Serpa as well as
for Holmes and Thurmond," Un-
dersheriff Earle Hamilton said.
"But while it was surging through
the halls looking for Thurmond, I
had time to get to Serpa's cell and
get him out of there
Hamilton managed to get through
the mob with Serpa. The under
sheriff turned the prisoner over TO
the San Francisco police. Later he
was called into court and sentenced
to spend from one to 10 years in
San Quentin penitentiary.
Damage 10 the jail in the mob
attack amounted to about $1,000,
officials said. Work was begun i'm
mediately to repair the damaged
doors, replaced broken lights and
windows. and clear up the litter
left by the rock and brick barrage
and the tear gas defense during the
two hour battle.
Authorities said that the elm trees
from which Thurmond and Holmes
were hanged would be removed.
Scuvenir-hunters cut away bark and
limbs from the trees which stood
near a statue dedicated to former
President william Mckinley.
The monument was erected by
public subscription after the late
President spoke here in "Defense
Of the Constitution, older resi-
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