Editing J.W. Milam
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On 24 August 1955, Emmett Till, visiting his relatives in Money, Mississippi, entered Bryant's grocery and was met by Carolyn Bryant. What happened next is disputed by witnesses, and even Bryant herself changed her story multiple times; however, what is known is that Till supposedly flirted with Bryant and wolf-whistled as he walked out, either at Bryant or some friends of his across the street. He either said "Bye bye, baby" or "Bubblegum" before leaving. Carolyn Bryant chose not to tell her husband for fear he would attack Till, but another witness informed Bryant, who decided to make an example out of Till. | On 24 August 1955, Emmett Till, visiting his relatives in Money, Mississippi, entered Bryant's grocery and was met by Carolyn Bryant. What happened next is disputed by witnesses, and even Bryant herself changed her story multiple times; however, what is known is that Till supposedly flirted with Bryant and wolf-whistled as he walked out, either at Bryant or some friends of his across the street. He either said "Bye bye, baby" or "Bubblegum" before leaving. Carolyn Bryant chose not to tell her husband for fear he would attack Till, but another witness informed Bryant, who decided to make an example out of Till. | ||
On 28 August, | On 28 August, Roy Bryant, J.W. Milam and two others drove to where Till was staying and demanded that Till's uncle Mose Wright hand over "the nigger who did the talking". They took Till into they truck and, after confirming he was the one who had talked to Carolyn, tied him up and drove away. During the drive Till was brutally pistol-whipped. They eventually arrived at a barn in Drew, where Bryant and Milam continued their beating. According to Bryant and Milam, Till taunted them during the beating by claiming to have "had white women" and calling them bastards. One eyewitness, Willie Louis, heard the beating from outside the barn and was ordered by Milam not to say anything. Eventually Bryant and Milam finished beating Till and shot him before throwing him in the Tallahatchie River. | ||
Bryant and Milam were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping the following day; the charge was upgraded to murder after Till's body was recovered. Both insisted they had let Till go and hadn't seen him again afterwards. Their trial was held in September 1955 and testimony was heard from numerous witnesses who had seen Bryant and Milam with Till at various points; however, an all-white jury acquitted them after only 67 minutes. A juror quipped "If we hadn't stopped to drink pop it wouldn't have taken that long". Β | Bryant and Milam were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping the following day; the charge was upgraded to murder after Till's body was recovered. Both insisted they had let Till go and hadn't seen him again afterwards. Their trial was held in September 1955 and testimony was heard from numerous witnesses who had seen Bryant and Milam with Till at various points; however, an all-white jury acquitted them after only 67 minutes. A juror quipped "If we hadn't stopped to drink pop it wouldn't have taken that long". Β | ||