The fatal WhistleIn August 1955, Emmett was visiting relatives near Money, Mississippi. He was unaware of the segregation in Mississippi because in Chicago, where he is from, the segregation is not as severe as it is in Money, Mississippi. So once he got to Mississippi some of his friends dared to go into the candy store that a white lady worked in. Her name was Carolyn Bryant and who was the wife of the store owner, Roy Bryant. As he left the store Emmett said “Bye baby” to Carolyn Bryant and whistled to her. The boys didn’t worry about the situation.
The RingThree days after Emmett's disappearance, Till's destroyed and disfigured body was found by two boys fishing in the Tallahatchie River. They say, "his head was very badly damaged. He had been shot above the right ear, an eye was dislodged from the socket, there was evidence that he had been beaten on the back and the hips, and his body weighted to the fan blade, which was fastened around his neck with barbed wire. He was nude, but wearing a silver ring with the initials "L. T." and "May 25, 1943" carved in it."
This ring was a ring that his father wore, once Mamie Till saw this ring on her son's hand she knew it was Emmett and couldn't believe what she was looking at. |
Emmett till was brutally beaten to deathcaption: This was how the police found Emmett when they pulled him out from the river.
What Happened continue? The Negroes drove away; and Carolyn, who was a bit shaken up so she told her friend Juanita. The two women determined to keep the incident from their "Men-folks." But by Thursday, story was getting around. Roy got back from Texas. Since he barely slept he decided to spend the rest of the day trying to get some rest. Then Friday afternoon, Roy reached the store, and shortly thereafter a Negro told him what "the talk" was, and told him that the "Chicago boy" was "visitin' Preacher." Carolyn then explained everything. Once Roy Bryant knew, he thought for him to have done nothing about the situation it would make him seem like a coward and a fool. So between 2:00 am and 3:30 am on Sunday, August 28, 1955, Roy Bryant, Milam drove to Mose Wright's house. Milam was armed with a pistol and a flashlight. once he showed up to the house he asked Wright, if he had three boys in the house from Chicago (Till shared a bed with another cousin: there were eight people in the small two-bedroom cabin)
Milam asked to be taken to "the nigger who did the talking". When they asked Till if it was him, he replied, "Yeah" both men threatened to shoot him if he didn't get dressed; the men aslo threatened to kill Wright if he reported what he had just witnessed *Till's great-aunt offered the men money, but they did not respond.* They put Till in the back of a pickup truck and drove to a barn at the Clint Shurden Plantation in Drew. |
Open Casket requestMamie allowed for the casket to be open at Emmetts Funeral so that all could see what horrible thigns were done to her child
Emmett's Grave |