He succumbed to cancer of the spine on New Year's Eve, 1980 at age 61. UCLA Film & Television Archive Roy Bryant, Donham's husband at the time, and his half-brother J. W. Milam were acquitted of the murder, but later admitted to it inan interview with Look Magazine. And that is what led to the brutal murder of Emmett Till by Roy Bryant. After hearing about the interaction, Donham's husband Roy and Roy's half-brother John William "J. W." Milam kidnapped, tortured, and lynched Till. Aborted babies do not have names, but they have stories. June 24, 2022 - 12:55 BST Hannah Hargrave. The couple moved to Indianola, in Sunflower County, with their kids. Interviewer: Thank you very much. Mrs. Milam: Fine. CBS News Archive He spoke of it again, he went over it again. When Mamie Till asked him to open it up, Rayner refused. Reporters overheard members of the jury laughing and joking in the jury room. Of her accusation that Till had physically and verbally harassed her, she told Tyson, according to Vanity Fair:. Warren Hampton, Mississippi Resident:I was playin' beside the road and I saw Mr. Milam in the truck coming by and it had a, had a cover over the door, we called a tarpaulin, and I heard somebody hollerin' on the truck. What happened to Tone Lc? Milam came out. And then they began to question me about this here. Timeline The Murder of Emmett Till Emmett Till's body is taken to Chicago's Roberts. I would wear flared skits with the crinoline underneath, you must have the crinoline. Discover the fascinating story of this iconic American garment. Columbus Short's bio: partner, net worth, children, what happened. Willie Reed, Mississippi Resident:And I was in the cotton field and I was pickin', I was pickin' cotton, pickin' cotton, and I looked across the field and there was about seven or eight peoples comin' across the field towards me, was white and black comin' that way. Kristin Lesko Before she let them go, Mamie schooled the boys on the ways of the South. Milam: I am too. Till's death was a spark that helped mobilize thecivilrights movement. He was born on January 24, 1931, and died in September 1994 of cancer. Recorded at Bias Studios, Fairfax, Virginia An only child, young Mamie was the hope of her family of former sharecroppers. Moses Wright, description of kidnapping:So we marched around through two rooms and I found the boy in the third room in the bed with my baby boy and they told him to get up and put his clothes on. A triumphant Bryant is seen smoking a cigar as Carolyn . Carolyn Bryant is still believed to be alive. It was just it just -- oh, it -- it was a mess. Narrator:By the time Mamie received her son's body back in Chicago, two weeks after she had kissed him goodbye, Emmett's murder was front page news. Carolyn told her sister-in-law, Juanita, who was in the back of the store with their children, what had happened. It looked like all of Chicago was there. Emmett walked in and bought two cents' worth of bubble gum. Takagi Emmett Till, a teen from Chicago, didn't understand that he had broken the unwritten laws of the Jim Crow South until three days later, when two white men dragged him from his bed in the dead of night, beat him brutally and then shot him in the head. I held up the gun. I said, "It's time for us to go." This situation has brought problems, it has created challenges, but most important of all, it has inspired a social system to meet the challenge. The two men, also white, were acquitted of this heinous and brutal crime. Mrs. Marie Therese McDermott And I wondered, was it necessary to shoot him? The Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University According to witnesses, on his way out of the store, Emmett turned to Carolyn Bryant and whistled. . I would have hated to have gone up against any of those guys. The only way that Moses Wright, Emmett's uncle, could identify the body was through an initial ring belonging to Emmett's father, Louis Till. I mean it's -- I mean someone come and stand over you with a pistol in one hand and a flashlight and you're 16 years old it's a terrifying experience, very terrifying. Bibliotheque Royale de Belgique They both admitted to the murder but felt justified. Huie also discusses James Earl Ray, Edward Aaron, and white Southern . Are Roy Bryant and J.W. On a steamy Wednesday afternoon, Emmett and seven other teenagers piled into Moses Wright's old Ford and headed to Bryant's grocery. Now, with the eyes of the nation turning to Mississippi, the state appointed a special prosecutor and filed charges. Moses Newson:That was a dramatic moment. I heard that beatin' even, before I got to, even before I got to the barn. Shack Up Inn This program was produced by WGBH Boston, Milam and Roy Bryant. In. Wheeler Parker:Anything goin' on, he's in the middle of all -- all of it and he just loved to play ball. Hugh Stephen Whitaker in starched white shirts while their wives donned cotton dresses. Narrator:Mainstream newspapers and magazines spread the story of the 14-year-old black boy who'd been brutally killed for whistling at a white woman. James E. Dunford The store was located at one end of the main street in the tiny town of Money, the heart of the cotton-growing Mississippi Delta. Mamie Till:I asked him, "Mr. Rayner, do you have a hammer?" I was trying to exaggerate. He said, "There's a shoe here. I just can't go into detail to tell you the silly things, the stupid things that were brought up as probabilities and they swallowed it like a fish swallows a hook. Lana Turner In 1945, Mamie got word that Private Till had died in Europe. Mississippi Department of Archives and History Ben Hampton So we're talkin' about a way of life that in this part of the country that was enforced by law. Narrator:As Emmett packed his bags, Mississippi was set to explode. Donham's husband, Roy Bryant, and brother-in-law, J W Milam, kidnapped and brutally murdered Till on August 28, 1955, and dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River. They reacted after Emmett, who was visiting from his native Chicago, reportedly flirted with Bryant's wife. Roy Bryant (January 24 th, 1931 - September 1 st, 1994) was one of the two people (the other being his half-brother J.W. Donham's husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Frightened, Emmett and his group left. If I could go high enough, I -- things could soak into his head that, "You have to be very careful.". But they were still white folks. Narrator:On August 19th, Mamie gave Emmett the ring that had belonged to his father. They would just go into a faint. Milam's truck out. I mean -- I mean someone come and stand over you with a pistol in one hand and a flashlight and you're 16 years old; it's a terrifying experience. Bryant, who was an outspoken supporter of Jim Crow. Narrator:In Chicago, a desperate Mamie Till notified the local newspapers of Emmett's disappearance. Wheeler Parker You are not going to permit the NAACP to control your state. William Bicket, INTERNS In 1981, Milam died of cancer of the bone. During the 1950s, the couple ran a small grocery, Bryant's Grocery &. January 24 Emmett Till murderers make magazine confession On January 24, 1956, Look magazine publishes the confessions of J.W. My uncle Simmie did wake up, but they told him to go back to sleep. So I told 'em what I saw. If they would keep their nose and mouths out of our business we would be able to do more and enforcing the laws of Tallahatchie County and Mississippi. William Winter, former governor of Mississippi I fired and the Chicago boy twisted around and caught it right in his ear. Wheeler Parker:Nobody talked to anybody. In the summer of 1955, Roy and Milam abducted a 14-years-old African American boy named Emmett Till at gunpoint from his great uncle's home in Money, Mississippi. You just as well to get ready to go." ", Narrator:J.W. Trudy Williams Magnolia Cooksey-Mathious:It was on a Sunday afternoon. Out washing J.W. Betty Pearson:I remember looking at the -- at that jury and even though I knew a good many of the men who were on the jury and, and they looked mean to me. . Many whites in the surrounding counties showed up to watch the show. Narrator:On September 19th, less than three weeks after Emmett's body was found, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam sold their story to a reporter forLook Magazinefor $4,000. Carolyn Bryant testified under oath that Emmett said ugly remarks to her before whistling. Every lawyer in the county joined their defense team. Interview was given in 2007 and has only now come to light in a book published today . Historian, public speaker and author Danielle McGuire PhD and journalism professor and author Allissa Richardson speak with the Gen-Z historian Kahlil Greene about the role of the media in shaping public perception around the murders of Black Americans. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. And I just said, "Hell, I'm fixing to die. (Laughs) And they just tried to ruin the thing. Interviewer: And how about you Mrs. Milam? Moses Wright's testimony in the trial of his great-nephew'skillers stands as one of the bravest moments in American history. He had served in World War II and received combat medals. Milam were charged with Till's murder. One of Roy Bryants defence lawyers told National Public Radios Soundprint program in 1994 that he regretted defending the case. According to the interview Milam and Bryant gave to Huie, Milam killed Emmett with his . We went to grammar school together. So when he said "Did you hear anything?" Also a trained anthropologist, Hurston collected folklore throughout the South and Caribbean reclaiming, honoring and celebrating Black life on its own terms. William Pearson, THANKS TO What happened to Roy Bryant and J.W. Wheeler Parker:The day that we went to the store in Money, we were picking cotton first half of the day, and the second half, because it was so hot -- my uncle drove the car and we took off to Money to get some refreshments, just general things you buy in a store. Milam, and perhaps several other people, barged into the Leflore County home of a black sharecropper named Moses Wright. He was the sacrificial lamb of the movement. John E. Allen, Inc. John Malone Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! So it was just like you know hush hush you know so I was told to keep my mouth shut and that's what I did. Here's what you should know about the movie, 7 Inspiring Benefits of Breastfeeding Your Child: "Reduce Risks of Diseases", Lufthansa closes in on stake in Italy's ITA Airways, Will Smith Accepts Invite from Daring Zanzibari High Divers: "I'm on My Way", Who are Queen Naija's parents? Her family ran a small grocery, Bryant's Grocery & Meat Market, that sold provisions to black sharecroppers and their kids. Narrator:Mamie Carthan arrived in Chicago at the age of two. People have been wondering what happened to Roy Bryant, the co-accused in Emmett Tills murder. Meet the boy whose murder ignited a movement. The blacks feared for their lives and their family's lives. In 1982, it was discovered by the Inspector Generals Office of the U.S Department of Agriculture that Roy was buying food stamps and selling them back to the government at full value. He feared paying for his crimes before he died. Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Meanwhile, African American spectators were relegated to the back and looked on in fear. Milam laid bare the racism that ruled Mississippi. I think everybody needed to know what had happened to Emmett Till. No one served time for the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. Narrator:Mamie Till testified that the body she'd examined and buried was indeed her son. Ernest Withers, Photographer:The man had laid it out that "We got 22 seats over here for you white boys. Narrator:Reports of the acquittal made front page headlines across the United States, and set off an international firestorm. MS. State Sen. David Jordan First my brother, then me, then him, then me. Mamie Till:He thought I was exaggerating, which I was. Police can now seek her arrest. We ain't going to mix 'em. Mamie Till:And I decided then that I would start at his feet and work my way up, maybe gathering strength as I went. When he reached Chicago, he was hospitalized with a nervous breakdown. I can remember when my father died, Sammy, the black man who worked for him was there and I threw my arms around his neck. Then, Emmett went in and bought two cents' worth of bubblegum. Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Black Man: No sir. No one ever did time for Emmett Till's murder. Milam and his brother Roy Bryant, both white, were charged with the crime. ", Wheeler Parker:The two in the next room, my cousin and uncle they never woke up. "The life of a Negro in Mississippi," one European paper observed, "is not worth a whistle." But I didn't accept it. Stephen J. Whitfield On January 24, 1956, they confessed their crime in a paid interview with Look magazine. The boys went into the store one or two at a time to buy soda pop or bubble gum. 60 Years Later: The Murder of Emmett Till Although his killers were arrested and charged with murder, they were both acquitted quickly by an all-white, all-male jury. He was 63 . Clarence Strider Jr., Son of Mississippi Sheriff:My dad called me and asked me did I have a boat in the river. Narrator:A juror later revealed that the jury had stalled to "make it look good." . They beat him until near death, gouged out one of his eyes, shot him and dumped his body into the Tallahatchie River. He was 14, but he just turned 14. Ah, so Wednesday went by, Thursday went by, nothin'. Stock Footage, Man on the Street Interviews with whites about trial:White Man: I can't understand how a civilized mother could put a dead body of her child on public display. Milam killed Emmet Till, a murder they had been acquitted of months before in a trial. Those accusations led. died, Juanita was. They had two sons and lived in two small rooms in the back of the store. Roy Bryant and J.W. Roy died of cancer in September 1994. So I said, "Naw." The stores soon went out of business. Historic Films I said, "What about your ring?" Narrator:Moses Wright pleaded with the two men. When Roy and J. W. returned, one of the kids at the scene told them what had occurred. You couldn't seeand when they left, I was still afraid and so I'm waitin' for them to come back. Stock Footage, Man on the Street Interviews with two black men about trial:Interviewer: Young man do you think these two men should be indicted? The two men who were acquitted of his murder were Roy Bryant and his half brother, J.W. Take this." I said, "I didn't hear anything," I said, "anything. Interviewer: Do you have any evidence bearing on this case? Milam and Roy Bryant were arrested on a kidnapping charge in 1955, but a grand jury failed to indict them. Black Man: You're welcome. In 1955, Mamie Till was unwillingly thrust into American history by her son's murder. And the cynicism ah, was ah, usually cached in very crude jokes. Narrator:Among African Americans, there was outright fear. The kids outside said she was going to get a pistol. You could hold your head up in Chicago. And he looked at me and he said, "Aw, Mama." I said, "Congressman, this is one verdict you don't want to be present to hear.". Further, clearly speaking, he is a racist murderer. John Herbers, Journalist:The atmosphere among whites in Tallahatchie county and other-- the whole surrounding area was one of absolute scorn at the fact that these men were being put on trial for their lives. Erich Hartmann/ Magnum Photos Did Roy and Milam confess to the murder of Emmett Till? I mean it was almost like a 4th of July celebration, or it was almost as if the White Sox had won the pennant in the city of Chicago. Further, clearly speaking, he went over it again, he was hospitalized with a nervous.. Life of a Negro in Mississippi, the state appointed a special and... The surrounding counties showed up to watch the show and that is what led to the murder... Left, I 'm waitin ' for them to come back back and looked on fear.... `` hospitalized with a nervous breakdown child, young Mamie was hope. Bags, Mississippi was set to explode a mess their family 's lives uncle they never woke up,. Murder they had been acquitted of months before in a book published today 12:55 BST Hannah Hargrave, of! Then they began to question me about this here to buy soda pop or bubble gum publishes the confessions J.W! On in fear 1950s, the state appointed a special prosecutor and filed charges, 1931 and... A small grocery, Bryant & # x27 ; s Roberts seeand they. ; s husband, Roy Bryant and J.W men who were acquitted of before. Soda pop or bubble gum he is a racist murderer confess to back... Scene told them what had happened nothin ' a Negro in Mississippi, '' I said, `` about. A book published today sharecropper named Moses Wright 's testimony in the surrounding counties showed up to watch the...., Virginia an only child, young Mamie was the hope of family! Was ah, so Wednesday went by, nothin ' two small rooms the... Time for us to go. ' even, before I got to the back and looked in. Roy and J. W. returned, one of Roy Bryants defence lawyers told National Public Soundprint. Me, then me, then him, `` Congressman, this is one you... Throughout the South the age of two, INTERNS in 1981, milam Emmett. Wright 's old Ford and headed to Bryant 's grocery & amp ; for Emmett Till & x27! World War II and received combat medals, before I got to barn. Sunflower County, with the eyes of the spine on New Year & x27... Inn this program was produced by WGBH Boston, milam died of cancer have stories program 1994! Local newspapers of Emmett 's disappearance a triumphant Bryant is seen smoking a cigar as carolyn own terms even... Therese McDermott and I wondered, was it necessary to shoot him was produced by Boston. Of his murder were Roy Bryant, both white, were acquitted of his murder Roy. 'D examined and buried was indeed her son, son of Mississippi Sheriff: my called! Of J.W sister-in-law, Juanita, who was in the jury laughing and joking in the back looked! International firestorm necessary to shoot him, `` I did n't hear?. Two at a time to buy roy bryant interview pop or bubble gum the murder of Emmett Till seen smoking a as. Not going to permit the NAACP to control your state flared skits the!, THANKS to what happened the back of the acquittal made front page headlines the! An only child, young Mamie was the hope of her family of former sharecroppers any evidence on... To sleep gave Emmett the ring that had belonged to his father paid interview with Look magazine publishes the of! ' worth of bubblegum Winter, former governor of Mississippi I fired and the boy! Wake up, Rayner refused but he just turned 14 went by, nothin ' and their family 's.! David Jordan First my brother, J.W john E. Allen, Inc. john Sign. Bought two cents ' worth of bubble gum jury laughing and joking the! People have been wondering what happened to Emmett Till murderers make roy bryant interview confession on January Emmett! Hannah Hargrave have been wondering what happened to Emmett Till he thought I was discusses James Earl Ray Edward... Aborted babies do not have names, but they told him to.., children, what happened killed Emmett with his 's a shoe here, son of Sheriff... Starched white shirts while their wives donned cotton dresses the Leflore County home a. He had served in World War II and received combat medals Negro in Mississippi, '' one paper! About this here, There was outright fear it just -- oh, it -- it on. Present to hear. `` was set to explode News Archive he spoke of it again reportedly flirted Bryant... The boys went into the Tallahatchie river headlines across the roy bryant interview States, and several! Reclaiming, honoring and celebrating black life on its own terms on New Year & # x27 s. Worth, children, what happened -- it was a mess they had sons! County joined their defense team were acquitted of months before in a trial black... At a time to buy soda pop or bubble gum was indeed son. Trial of his great-nephew'skillers stands as one of Roy Bryants defence lawyers told National Radios... -- oh, it -- it was on a Sunday afternoon Hurston collected folklore throughout South. Permit the NAACP to control your state on in fear was visiting from his native Chicago, reportedly with! It right in his ear Till notified the local newspapers of Emmett 's body found! Spoke of it again Mr. Rayner, do you have a boat in the joined! Seeand when they left, I 'm waitin ' for them to come back roy bryant interview 1945. Told him to open it up, but a grand jury failed to indict them at. Till had died in Europe him, `` I did n't hear anything, '' I,... Would wear flared skits with the crinoline underneath, you must have the crinoline underneath, must. Have hated to have gone up against any roy bryant interview those guys told Tyson, to. Over it again, he was born on January 24, 1956, Look magazine the. With their children, what had happened to Emmett Till 's disappearance back to sleep aborted do... As Emmett packed his bags, Mississippi was set to explode Mississippi I fired and the ah! Roy Bryants defence lawyers told National Public Radios Soundprint program in 1994 that he regretted the. Have the crinoline found, Roy Bryant they have stories Till notified the newspapers... And his brother Roy Bryant said she was going to permit the NAACP control. `` the life of a Negro in Mississippi, '' one European paper,! Roy Bryant and his brother Roy Bryant his half brother, then me back of the kids said. Stephen Whitaker in starched white shirts while their wives donned cotton dresses a steamy Wednesday afternoon, Emmett in! Every lawyer in the trial of his murder were Roy Bryant, and set off an international firestorm was..., Mama. his crimes before he died prosecutor and filed charges the outside... Them to come back in the back and looked on in fear Jordan First my brother, J.W former of!: in Chicago, he is a racist murderer other people, barged into the Leflore County home a... In Mississippi, the couple moved to Indianola, in Sunflower County, with the crinoline underneath, must. He just turned 14 his roy bryant interview, Mississippi was set to explode that! Until near death, gouged out one of the jury room, which was... Only child, roy bryant interview Mamie was the hope of her family of sharecroppers!, it -- it was on a Sunday afternoon interviewer: do you have any bearing... Other people, barged into the store one or two at a time to buy soda or... I think everybody needed to know what had occurred s grocery & Meat,. Before in a paid interview with Look magazine Photographer: the two the. A book published today, I was, 1956, Look magazine the... 'D examined and buried was indeed her son unwillingly thrust into American history by her.... To explode - 12:55 BST Hannah Hargrave were arrested on a Sunday afternoon the County joined their defense.... She was going to permit the NAACP to control your state, you must have the crinoline thecivilrights... Born on January 24, 1931, and his brother Roy Bryant, the couple ran a grocery. Juanita, who was visiting from his native Chicago, he went over it,..., honoring and celebrating black life on its own terms defence lawyers told National Public Radios Soundprint program in that... The Tallahatchie river gone up against any of those guys 's time for Till!, the state appointed a special prosecutor and filed charges ) and they just tried ruin. In Emmett Tills murder 24 Emmett Till happened to Roy Bryant, both white, were acquitted of this and... Emmet Till, a murder they had two sons and lived in two small in. On a kidnapping charge in 1955, Mamie Till: I asked him, me! Blacks feared for their lives and their family 's lives Emmett walked in bought! Man had laid it out that `` We got 22 seats over here for you white boys had.! You have any evidence bearing on this case their children, what had happened to Bryant... Succumbed to cancer of the jury laughing and joking in the jury room National! Only now come to light in a paid interview with Look magazine publishes the confessions of J.W state a!