- Jun 24, 2007
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Fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was excited about his trip from his home in Chicago's south side to the Mississippi, Delta to visit relatives. Prior to his departure, his mother, Mamie Till Bradley, a teacher, had done her best to advise him about how to behave when interacting with Southern white people. Till's mother understood that in Mississippi race relations were a lot different than in Chicago. In Mississippi, over 500 blacks had been lynched since 1882 and racially motivated murders were not unfamiliar, especially in the Delta where Till was going.
Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Bradley, 1950.
on August 20, 1955, Emmett Till setoff with his cousin Curtis Jones on the train to Mississippi. When Till and Jones arrived on August 21, they stayed at the home of Till's great-uncle Mose Wright, just on the outskirts of Money, Mississippi.
[...]
On August 24, the boys drove Wright's car into the small town of Money and stopped at Bryant's Grocery store to buy some candy. Prior to entering the store, Till pulled out some pictures of his white friends in Chicago and showed them to some local boys outside of the store. The boys dared Till to talk to Carolyn Bryant, the store clerk. Till went into the store, purchased some candy, and what happened as he was leaving is unclear. Till either said, "Bye, baby" or he whistled at Carolyn Bryant.
[...]
Three days later, Till's body was discovered in the Tallahatchie River. It was weighted down by a seventy-five pound cotton gin fan, which was tied around Till's neck with barbed wire. His face was so mutilated that when Wright identified the body, he could only do so based on the ring that Till was been wearing.
Full Article Here
The trial began on September 19, 1955 in Sumner, Mississippi. The entire jury was composed of white men from the defendants' home county.
The jury deliberated for only 67 minutes; according to one juror, it lasted that long only because they stopped to drink soda. The jury found Milam and Bryant not guilty.
On January 24, 1956, Look magazine published the confession of Milam and Bryant, who had agreed to tell their story for $4,000. According to their confession, they beat Till with a .45 in Milam's barn. They proceeded to take him to the Tallahatchie River where they had him undress and then shot him. A gin fan was tied around his neck with wire in order to weigh the body down in the river. They proceeded to burn Till's clothes and shoes.
Milam and Bryant were never charged.
Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Bradley, 1950.
on August 20, 1955, Emmett Till setoff with his cousin Curtis Jones on the train to Mississippi. When Till and Jones arrived on August 21, they stayed at the home of Till's great-uncle Mose Wright, just on the outskirts of Money, Mississippi.
[...]
On August 24, the boys drove Wright's car into the small town of Money and stopped at Bryant's Grocery store to buy some candy. Prior to entering the store, Till pulled out some pictures of his white friends in Chicago and showed them to some local boys outside of the store. The boys dared Till to talk to Carolyn Bryant, the store clerk. Till went into the store, purchased some candy, and what happened as he was leaving is unclear. Till either said, "Bye, baby" or he whistled at Carolyn Bryant.
[...]
Three days later, Till's body was discovered in the Tallahatchie River. It was weighted down by a seventy-five pound cotton gin fan, which was tied around Till's neck with barbed wire. His face was so mutilated that when Wright identified the body, he could only do so based on the ring that Till was been wearing.
Full Article Here
The trial began on September 19, 1955 in Sumner, Mississippi. The entire jury was composed of white men from the defendants' home county.
The jury deliberated for only 67 minutes; according to one juror, it lasted that long only because they stopped to drink soda. The jury found Milam and Bryant not guilty.
On January 24, 1956, Look magazine published the confession of Milam and Bryant, who had agreed to tell their story for $4,000. According to their confession, they beat Till with a .45 in Milam's barn. They proceeded to take him to the Tallahatchie River where they had him undress and then shot him. A gin fan was tied around his neck with wire in order to weigh the body down in the river. They proceeded to burn Till's clothes and shoes.
Milam and Bryant were never charged.