Brooke Hart Kidnapping Newspaper Collection
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
Phone: (408)808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://www.sjlibrary.org/research/special/special_coll/
© 2010
Trustees of the California State University.
All rights reserved.
Brooke Hart Kidnapping Newspaper Collection
Collection number: MSS-2011-05-05
SJSU Library Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
San José, California
- Processed by:
- Kimberly Koshiyama
- Date Completed:
- 2011
- Encoded by:
- Kimberly Koshiyama
© 2011 Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Brooke Hart Kidnapping Newspaper Collection
Dates: 1933
Collection number: MSS-2011-05-05
Collection Size:
1 box,
1.71 linear feet
Repository:
San José State University. Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The Brooke Hart Kidnapping Newspaper collection provides newspaper documentation of the murder of Brooke Hart, which took
place on November 9, 1933 and the subsequent lynching of the perpetrators, John Maurice Holmes and Thomas Harold Thurmond
on November 26, 1933 in San Jose, California. Brooke Hart, a young man of 22 and recent graduate of Santa Carla University,
was appointed by his father, Alex Hart, owner of the Hart Department Store, the vice president of the company. The Hart family
was one of most respected and wealthiest families in San Jose. The kidnapping and murder became national news, and the lynching
of the two accused defendants marked the first and last lynching in San Jose since 1854. After Hart's body was discovered
in the San Francisco bay on November 26, 1933, mob violence broke out and an angry mob rushed the jail and the two men were
dragged to Saint James Park where they were beaten, stripped of their clothes, and hung. This story made national news and
a media and political circus followed. California Governor James Rolph Jr. shamefully applauded the actions of the mob, for
which he was condemned by President Franklin Roosevelt and former President Herbert Hoover. In the aftermath, gruesome street
hawkers sold post-cards of the event, while others sold pieces of the tree limbs as souvenirs. The trees were finally cut-down,
the jail and new post-office were badly damaged, and the mob was never indicted by the Santa Clara Grand Jury. The failure
of due process, the murders of the two defendants, and the lawlessness that prevailed is an important story in the larger
framework of the history of lynching in the United States.
This single series collection is arranged by format and date: Series I: Brooke Hart Newspapers and Scrapbook, 1933.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections &
Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to
the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections
& Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital
reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
Brooke Hart Kidnapping Newspaper Collection, MSS-2011-05-05, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.
Biography / Administrative History
Brooke Hart was a wealthy, popular twenty-two year old male residing in San Jose, California. He was kidnapped on November
9, 1933. Brooke's father, Alex J. Hart, the owner of L. Hart and Son Department Stores, offered a $40,000 ransom for his son's
return. When it was determined that Brooke was murdered, a $500 reward for the recovery of his son's body was offered. Thomas
Harold Thurmond demanded the ransom and was arrested on November 15, where he confessed and named John Maurice Holmes as his
accomplice. Holmes denied any wrong doing and his family and friends confirmed that he had attended the theater that night,
but their stories were dismissed by the local sheriff.
According to Thurmond's confession, they robbed young Hart and placed a pillow-case over his head and they attached cement
blocks to his chest and limbs with barbed wire, before pushing him over the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge. The entire waterfront
was combed, with multiple sea liners sent out to investigate the waters. The San Jose Police, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's
Office and the U.S. Division of Investigation were brought in to research the case, and the U.S. Marines searched the bay
for his body. The cement blocks and wire were recovered from the bay, as was his wallet, and eventually his body surfaced
on November 26, 1933.
The District Attorney of San Jose intended to prosecute Thurmond and Holmes under the new provisions of the California Penal
Code, which made kidnapping a capital offense. Angry mobs in San Francisco and San Jose demanded they both be lynched. On
November 22, they were indicted by a federal grand jury in San Francisco and returned to San Jose to face kidnapping charges.
Once Hart's body was retrieved angry mobs in both cities called for swift justice. As mob violence became apparent the police
barricaded the jail entrance, but were overtaken by a very angry and drunk mob of young men. According to one newspaper report,
approximately 50 men, armed with clubs and rocks took over the jail. Sheriff Emig called for reinforcement from Oakland and
San Francisco police departments.
Thurmond and Holmes were dragged from the jail, beaten, stripped of their clothes, and hanged in St. James Park. According
to one estimate over 15,000 descended on the park to watch the macabre affair. Their bodies were torched as the crowds look
on. The story made headlines news across the nation. Most of the journalists and Alex Hart expressed disapproval of the mob
violence and disrespect of the rule of law. Sheriff Emig went on record stating that the lynchings were regretful and that
the defendants deserved a fair trial. In contrast, Governor James Rolph Jr. applauded the actions of the mob and he promised
to pardon any individual arrested for "this good job." Rolph's statements resulted in a backlash locally and at the national
level. President Roosevelt and former President Hoover both sent statements condemning his actions. In the aftermath, San
Jose had to rebuild the jail and post-office and they cut down the trees to prevent souvenir peddlers from selling tree bark
and limbs. Referred to as the San Jose's shame, the story of the Hart kidnapping and lynching's fits into the larger narrative
of and mob violence and the problem of lynching in United States during the early 20th century.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Brooke Hart Kidnapping Newspaper collection provides newspaper documentation of the murder of Brooke Hart, which took
place on November 9, 1933 and the subsequent lynching of the perpetrators, John Maurice Holmes and Thomas Harold Thurmond
on November 26, 1933 in San Jose, California. Brooke Hart, a young man of 22 and recent graduate of Santa Carla University,
was appointed by his father, Alex Hart, owner of the Hart Department Store, the vice president of the company. The Hart family
was one of most respected and wealthiest families in San Jose. The kidnapping and murder became national news, and the lynching
of the two accused defendants marked the first and last lynching in San Jose since 1854. After Hart's body was discovered
in the San Francisco bay on November 26, 1933, mob violence broke out and an angry mob rushed the jail and the two men were
dragged to Saint James Park where they were beaten, stripped of their clothes, and hung. This story made national news and
a media and political circus followed. California Governor James Rolph Jr. shamefully applauded the actions of the mob, for
which he was condemned by President Franklin Roosevelt and former President Herbert Hoover. In the aftermath, gruesome street
hawkers sold post-cards of the event, while others sold pieces of the tree limbs as souvenirs. The trees were finally cut-down,
the jail and new post-office were badly damaged, and the mob was never indicted by the Santa Clara Grand Jury. The failure
of due process, the murders of the two defendants, and the lawlessness that prevailed is an important story in the larger
framework of the history of lynching in the United States.
Arrangement
This single series collection is arranged by format and date: Series I: Brooke Hart Newspapers and Scrapbook, 1933
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Brooke Hart -- History
History -- Brooke Hart Case
Santa Clara County -- Kidnapping Cases
Santa Clara County -- 1930s -- Murder case
History -- San Jose
Kidnapping cases
1933 Murder cases
Bibliography
Brian McGinty, "Shadows in St. James Park," California History 57 (4), pp. 290-307.
Series I:
Brooke Hart Newspapers and Scrapbook
1933
Physical Description: 1 box
Series Scope and Content Summary
The materials in this series consist of newspaper articles documenting the Brooke Hart kidnapping and murder, which took place
on November 9, 1933, and the subsequent lynching’s of the criminal defendants, John Maurice Holmes and Thomas Harold Thurmond
on November 16, 1933. This small collection includes original, microfilm and photocopies of news reports from the San Jose
Mercury Herald, Evening News—San Jose, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Most of the newspaper articles and clippings lack
newspaper titles or dates. Included is a newspaper scrapbook, which duplicates some of the loose articles. It is unknown who
compiled the scrapbook. Most of the dates range from November 9 through December 6, 1933. National newspaper reports are not
included in this collection.
Arrangement
Access to the collection is provided at the container level. The series is arranged chronologically by item.
Box: 1
Newspapers and scrapbook
1933
Folder 1
Newspaper Articles
Nov. 9-Dec. 3, 1933, undated
Folder 2
Newspaper Scrapbook
Nov. 9-Dec. 3, 1933, undated