Timesuck with Dan Cummins - 360 - The Lynching of Emmett Till

Episode Date: August 7, 2023

Early on the morning of August 28th, 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped from his great-uncle's home by two white men, Roy Bryant and JW Milam, and several others. Why? He'd allegedly flirted ...with Roy's wife Carolyn Bryant. Roy, JW, and possibly others proceeded to whip, punch, and pistol whip Emmett, before putting a bullet in his head and dumping his body in the river. And then they were found innocent of his murder, a murder they later publicly admitted to, in a rigged trial. Real history today - not that new Florida fake news history. Hail Nimrod!  Wet Hot Bad Magic Summer Camp tickets are ON SALE!  BadMagicMerch.com Get tour tickets at dancummins.tv Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fUX9NfW6IqMMerch: https://www.badmagicmerch.comDiscord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard?  Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcastSign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits

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Starting point is 00:00:00 One seemingly harmless minute in a backwoods country grocery store in rural Mississippi dramatically changed the course of Emmett Till's life. Set it on a path to be destroyed. And with his destruction set an entire nation's civil rights movement into motion. Emmett was just 14 years old and on summer break before his eighth grade year he came to Mississippi from Chicago to visit his family. Before he left his mother had anxiously warned him that he would need to be careful and to still strictly segregated and racially hostile environment of the deep south.
Starting point is 00:00:31 And she was right to be scared. For just one minute, give her, take a handful of seconds. On August 24th, 1955, Emmett Till was alone in a store with a white woman. What exactly happened inside that store will never be known. The store has changed over and over through the years, but the story initially told by Carolyn Bryant, the store owner who interacted with Emmett that day led to his death. On August 28, Carolyn's husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother, J. W. Millham, with an unknown number of accomplices, kidnapped Emmett Till from his uncle's home in the middle of the night. They drove him to a barn, attempted to beat him into submitting to what they decided his
Starting point is 00:01:08 place was. And when the results of the beating didn't satisfy them, they took him to the banks of the tally hatchy river where he was shot in the head. The men then tied a cotton gin fan to his neck with barbed wire and cooling through his lifeless body into the river. Emmett's corpse was recovered three days later. His mother, Mammy Tillmobli, chose to have an open casket funeral. She wanted the whole country to see the cruelty that had been inflicted upon her son, the
Starting point is 00:01:33 whole world. It's possible that up to 100,000 people viewed Emmett's body and millions more saw a picture of his mutilated body when it was published in magazines and newspapers. And while almost no one realized it at the time, the rage overseen what was done to him and why it was done to him sparked a revolution. Manly wanted justice for the murder of her son, which was labeled a lynching by the NAACP and many other groups and individuals as well. Anyone with a working brain inside their head, basically, less than a month later,
Starting point is 00:02:02 her son's killers went to trial. Carolyn Bryant testified that she was scared to death by Emmett's conduct inside the store, claiming that he grabbed her. Asked her on a date and used quote, an unprintable word. Roy Bryant and J.W. Millum would be acquitted of murder and kidnapping by an all-white jury. Protected from further prosecution, they then did a magazine interview where they fully confessed to kidnapping, beating, and murdering Emmett Till. This injustice and the cruel murder of a young boy sparked a national outrage.
Starting point is 00:02:33 The lynching of Emmett Till is considered by many to mark the beginning of the civil rights movement in America. Today we'll discuss the life Emmett Till, the impact of his murder, the pursuit of justice in the decades it followed, and a whole lot more. In another historical, let us not shy away from any uncomfortable truths. Why the hell wasn't I taught this back when I was in school? It's such an incredibly powerful story edition of Time Suck.
Starting point is 00:02:55 This is Michael McDonald and you're listening to Time Suck. You're listening to time, son. Happy Monday, mead sex. Welcome to the cult of the curious. Dan Cummins, the suck master, patron of the theater. Bikini burger lover and you were listening to time suck. Hell, name, Rod Hellos, the fina praise, be a good boy, we'll jangles and glory be to triple them. Still have a bit of that damn head cold from last week's recording, but voice feeling better than last week.
Starting point is 00:03:33 A couple quick things here, a couple of fun things. Then we'll get into the story. Quick reminder that the 2023 badmatic street team is often running. Recording this in advance, hopefully some of the 500 packs of 10 stickers each are still in stock. Actually, you know what? Oh, they're not. But if they are, they're still free.
Starting point is 00:03:49 You only pay for shipping. Stick them all over the place where you think best spreads the suck. Post your picks, get creative on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, hashtag the picks and or vids with bad magic street team. So we can find them and maybe you can win some free merch. On or after October 2nd at noon Pacific time, we'll look up posts based on the hashtag at bad magic street team and, or excuse me, hashtag bad magic street team.
Starting point is 00:04:13 And the winner will get a $200 badmagicmerch.com store credit and everyone who does this. Thank you. Thank you for helping me spread the word about our shows in an old school way. Also a reminder to mark your calendar for something else free. Sunday August 27th 4 p.m. on YouTube the debut of my newest stand-up special trying to get better And again releasing for free on YouTube as most comics do these days I'll be in the comment feed for the initial release and then of course it'll live there for hopefully a long long long time
Starting point is 00:04:41 Subscribe to the bad magic production's YouTube channel and then watch along with me. Please share it if you like it. You know what, fucking share it if you don't like it. If you fucking hate it, still share it. Again, Sunday, August 27th, 4 p.m., Pacific time on the Bad Magic Productions YouTube channel. The new comedy special, trying to get better. I'm very proud of it.
Starting point is 00:04:59 If you don't like it, you should fucking never follow my standard again, because it's the best I can do. If you do like it, go to the anchovies. dot TV get tickets to upcoming shows of all new material in Richmond Burlington Buffalo, New York It's Buffalo, New York. I don't know why I felt it at a state but not with the others Chicago Providence Lexington Virginia Beach and Honolulu and one more thing Sunny Hollister here again, me text.
Starting point is 00:05:25 Cheesecake Factory Store Detective. I'd like to tell you how my exclusive Cheesecake Detective collection. Manager Greg Charles of Cheesecake Factory 404 keeps throwing official Cheesecake Detective merch out of the store. Because apparently I have never officially represented the company.
Starting point is 00:05:42 Clearly I need to bring you an official collection directly. Introducing the Detective Sonny Hollister Approved Cheesecake Detective Mini Collection featuring two TVarians and a frosted glass mug. And yes, it does kind of look like the souvenir cup Cheesecake Factory users when you order any celebration cheesecake or specialty desserts.
Starting point is 00:06:00 But not exactly. I know how to catch bad guys, and I know how to avoid copyright infringement Head on over to badmagicmerds.com right now and stay sunny everyone Glad to get you off for a second. Okay, now let's get to our topic that are Spaceless on patreon voted into existence here on the show and I'm glad they did I miss this one grown up I missed a lot of stuff grown up
Starting point is 00:06:24 Regans maybe it's better now when I was growing up, didn't have the best educational system. And then after school, never to my recollection, never heard about it. Prior to seeing it on the voting board on the Times of Cap, sometimes research on these topics, and I still do a ton of the research on every single topic, adding to the research done by one of our awesome researchers.
Starting point is 00:06:45 And sometimes it is definitely more captivating than it is on other weeks. And this week, show captivating. The story is so naturally powerful, tragic, and compelling. It's fucking, it's painful, it's horrific. And I wish like with most of our stories, you know, that it never would have happened. But also the story sparked a lot of intense conversations between Lindsay and I, between me and my kids kind of Monroe It sparked you know conversations for families ever since it has happened and it really moved me
Starting point is 00:07:10 I hope it does the same for you. I hope it fucking infuriates you Here we go So how are we dissecting this heavy shit today? Well, we will first start with an overview of the Mississippi Delta region, where Emmett Till was murdered to show how his murder was not an anomaly. It was a logical conclusion of deeply held ignorant beliefs that have been pervasive in the area for multiple generations. Following that, I'll share how the press portrayed Emmett versus his white accusers.
Starting point is 00:07:42 After that, we'll cover a full timeline of Emmett's short life, his killer's trial and the decades it followed and throughout all of it, you know, find as many places as possible to make fun of fuckheads, show up in the story and look for other areas of mockery to keep this from just being a, you know, some kind of torture porn tear fest. From 1877 to 1950, there were over 4,000 racial terror lynchings in the US. According to a report by the Equal Justice Initiative Non-profit founded in 1989 that provides legal representation for those who've been wrongfully convicted or face abuse in prison One of the cherries a bad magic is donated to back in 2020 this one over 4,000 terror lynchings that's a lot of fucking people spending their final moments in abject horror over a bunch
Starting point is 00:08:29 of ignorant bullshit. The victims of these racial terror lynchings were primarily black people. And during this period, 600 black victims were lynched in the state of Mississippi. The most out of any state in the US, roughly 15% of all racial lynchings recorded by this study in a 73 year period took place in one of 50 states. In 1955, 14 year old Emmett Till was murdered by white men and what was arguably the most racist region of the most racist state in America at the time, the Mississippi Delta. According to a 2006 FBI investigative report into Emmett's
Starting point is 00:09:03 lynching at the time of his murder, the Mississippi Delta was a place where racial attitudes now considered abhorrent were the norm for a significant segment of society. Hardcore racism was a way of life. Like hardcore out of like a bad movie that seems over the top. Like, oh, come on.
Starting point is 00:09:22 People like that don't really exist, do they? Yeah, they do. The events of Emmett Till's kidnapping and murder took place in the three counties in Mississippi Delta, Laflore, Sunflower, and Tallahatchee. Emmett was kidnapped in Laflore County, taken to Sunflower County and then found dead on the border of Tallahatchee and Laflore counties. In 1955, the three counties, each had a majority black population per that same FBI report. The land consisted mainly of large plantations that were still worked by black tenant farmers.
Starting point is 00:09:52 The population of the floor county was around 51,068 percent of that population was non-white. And almost all of them were real poor, especially the black residents. The median annual per capita income was 918 bucks. The average annual income of black families specifically $595 annually, $595 a fucking year. Inflation calculators don't ever perfectly translate yesterday's dollars into today's but they give us a rough feel for how far the money went. And 595 a year in 1955 corresponds to about 6700 a year today, which broken down into somebody working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year that equates to about $3.22 an hour.
Starting point is 00:10:38 So we're not talking about poverty, we're talking about deep, deep poverty. People working people, living in what most of us would call a fucking shed, wearing rags, basically never really having quite enough to eat, zero medical care, zero dental care, you know, no money for any kind of personal care. Take out the racism and life is still just fucking brutal. Check out how this compares to the rest of the country. In 1955, the US average per capita income was 4,400. And Mr. Zippy was 946. Uh, the number so low, I thought it must be wrong. And I dove into a whole bunch of other stats for a bunch of other years. I was like, there's no fucking way that Mr. Zippy's average per capita income was over four
Starting point is 00:11:18 times less to the national average. Uh, no, it's true. Mr. Zippy has made a lot of improvement in recent decades. Actually come up a bunch, but it still lags behind the entire rest of the nation. The average current annual per capita income in the US is 35,672 per capita income is the average income, computer for every man, woman, and child, my household, or I'm sorry, yeah, yeah, what I said, the highest state or territory was the district of Columbia, Washington, DC with 59,808 highest actual state Massachusetts 46,241 and then the lowest state, Mississippi
Starting point is 00:11:55 25,301 Mississippi still to pour a state in the nation the gap isn't as wide as it used to be, but it's still at the bottom A few more stats before moving on the average adult in the floor county had completed only 6.4 years of school back in 1955. While black adults average two years less, 4.3 years of education. And the other counties mirrored what was going on in the floor. The population of sunflower county around 56,000, 68%. Population is non-whwhites median annual per capita income
Starting point is 00:12:27 $744.00 my God average annual income for black families 544 so less than the floor education rates bit lower as well average adult 5.7 years of school average black adult 4.1 years of school finally telehatch county population around 30,000, 63% of the population non-white, median annual per capita individual income, 607 bucks, average annual income for black families, 462, 462 dollars. The average adult completed 5.7 years of school,
Starting point is 00:13:00 average black adult, 3.9, lowest of the three counties. So majority of people in these counties had far less than a junior high education. An FBI report states the FBI has done numerous reports on all this over the decades by the way that in 1955 there were definitive socioeconomic strata within Mississippi Delta society. Black persons were considered to be at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale. The next level above blacks was the white sharecropper, followed by the white business person who catered to the black community.
Starting point is 00:13:30 All other segments of white society, farmers, store owners who catered to the white community, business leaders, etc. were perceived to be socio-economically superior to these two segments of the white community. And according to the FBI, there was an unwritten de facto separate legal system that served as the foundation for jurisprudence between blacks and whites, which was called, quote, negro justice, essentially a social caste system existed, where there were a lot of unwritten social rules. There were a ton back in the 50s and Mississippi.
Starting point is 00:13:58 A lot of rules, people held it very near and dear status. It's always meant so much to so many of us meet sex and it's almost uh, always meant a lot more to some of us than it has to others. And down in these counties in the 1950s for many, social status was very fucking important. And the consequences for not staying, quote, in your place were very severe. And at the bottom of this caste system, right, black residents, then just barely above them. Poor white people who worked with black people in some capacity. And the villains of today's story are those white people. Just above the white sharecropper, the white business owner who sold primarily to a black customer
Starting point is 00:14:33 base, right? People seen as less than by other white people with better jobs, more education, more money, people who desperately wanted to make sure that no black people tried to jump over them in social status. People literally willing to kill to make sure that didn't happen so they could keep telling themselves that while most people looked down on them, you know, they were still quote better than somebody. Long side status economics and education loom large in the story, right? You have very poor, very uneducated white people who felt racially superior to even more poor, more uneducated black people who felt like they also had the right to impose whatever
Starting point is 00:15:04 type of backwards justice upon those people, they deemed right and proper. Education and economic opportunity, provide good helping to both to a population, and you're probably gonna have a healthy, largely happy population. The private population of both, and yeah, you're gonna end up with shit
Starting point is 00:15:22 like the lynching of Emmett Till. Mississippi was racially segregated in the 50s, like most of South. There were separate schools, public bathroom facilities, drinking, founds, and restaurants. There were laws forbidding interracial marriage, cohabitation, and also sexual conduct between races. Black people were culturally expected to refer to white people as MAM or SIR.
Starting point is 00:15:43 White people did not offer the same respect and return. Black people culturally tended to avoid contradicting white people, did not offer to shake their hands first, kept their eyes down to the ground, didn't speak unless spoken to by white people. It was also common and expected to avoid any skin contact between the races. Damn. So slavery had ended almost a hundred years earlier, but socially black people, Mississippi, were still enslaved in so many ways. Chain to dehumanizing cultural expectations, expectations that still carried harsh punishments
Starting point is 00:16:14 like fatal lynchings if they were not met. I mean, imagine living like that right now, whatever race you are, it doesn't fucking matter. Truly doesn't matter. Just imagine having to literally look down at the fucking ground, whenever you are in the presence of the member of the in race, the race deemed by the mainstream culture to be superior.
Starting point is 00:16:32 Imagine mentally making sure that you don't touch them, that you're always anxious and scared around them. You always have to address them as sir or ma'am. Right, you don't speak to them unless they speak to you, if they insult you, you just take it. You apologize, even when you know you've done nothing wrong, you apologize because you're scared him unless they speak to you if they insult you you just take it you apologize Even when you know you've done nothing wrong you apologize because you're scared of what will happen to you if you anger him What might happen to those around you?
Starting point is 00:16:52 Just imagine what that would do to your fucking self-esteem to your soul It would crush mine. I imagine I would constantly be filled with so much indignant rage It would feel like at any moment. I might literally just explode I mean I struggle every day with fucking feelings of rage now and no one's persecuting me. I just hate most of society. I try to see the good and people and there is a lot of good and people but fuck I hate people as well. I fantasize pretty much daily about doing shit like pushing some motherfucker down a flight of stairs. Just because I don't like the way they look at me or just carry themselves in general. I just determined whatever reason like,
Starting point is 00:17:27 now, to fucking prick. And the environment of today's tale, I feel like I would either just have to die inside, you know, and just no longer be anything resembling who I am now, or probably be a mass shooter. Just walk into the town square and open fire on all the Peckerwood motherfuckers who keep trying to make me feel less than, right? Just keep shooting till somebody You uh takes me out or I've taken them all out This is being fucking brutally honest. Uh the FBI report continues with In the Mississippi Delta a de facto institution of separate justice was in place for whites and blacks
Starting point is 00:17:57 The white population could rely on the normal vestments of governments and call in the local sheriff's department for assistance and criminal matters This was not the case for blacks. The black population was dealt with in a manner which some historians have called, quote, Negro law, a system where the gravity of the crime was determined in large part by its impact on whites. Based on interviews with white and black people, the FBI reported that if a white person had an issue with a black person, they would speak to that person's, quote, land owner, which was the person who owned the farm they worked on.
Starting point is 00:18:25 The land owner took care of the problem by paying off debts or other nonviolent methods, but also sometimes did use violent methods. Also sometimes beat, whipped, used other forceful methods against Black people. And this is going on in the 50s, the 1950s, not the 1850s. This was done with crimes, you know, issues amongst Black people. Like what the fuck? Almost a hundred years. Says the abolition of slavery, but still, Mississippi, some poor black people are living damn near exactly like they had when they were plantation slaves over century earlier. Like, whippin' still to norm. Like, I knew shit was racially fucked up in the 1950s and the deep south.
Starting point is 00:19:01 But I don't think I knew it was this fucked up in certain places. On May 17th, 1954, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in the Brown versus Board education case, declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The summer before Emmett's lynching, right, racial tension, Mississippi is heating up. It's increasing with this ruling.
Starting point is 00:19:21 In response to Brown versus Board, the editor of Jackson, Mississippi's daily news wrote, human blood may stain southern soil in many places because of this decision. But the dark red stains of that blood will be on the marble steps of the United States Supreme Court building. White and Negro children in the same schools will lead to miscedure nation. It means racial strife of the bitter assault, Mississippi cannot and will not try to abide by this decision. Anyone else have zero fucking clue what miscegenation meant? I had to look up that scrabble word.
Starting point is 00:19:57 It means quote marriage or cohabitation between two people from different racial groups, especially in the US, between a black person and a white person resulting in the conception of a mixed race child. What a fucking crazy thing to take anything you've learned, just, you know, fucking any emotion out of it and just think you got, you got person and you got person, right? They might have different fucking colors, which by the way, we're all a little bit different in color, right? You fucking two white people is the shade always identical of course not.
Starting point is 00:20:28 It's just this fucking spectrum. But we decide like once you cross, I don't know, this fucking threshold on the spectrum, I can't, I will not! I must not abide! By my penis entering your vagina, Ovas, Vesa, it's fucking insane. That's the kind of shit that makes me think like, you know what, I just hope a virus takes all of us out. Right, the world will be so much fucking better with just no people on it. Where's that come from?
Starting point is 00:20:52 Right, it has to come from insecurity, right? Intracure white men worried that some black man's going to end up with a woman that they wanted. Also, insecure white women worried that some black woman's going to take their man. All right, talk about seeing the glass half empty. Look at all that another way, the right way, mixing up races, white women worried that some black woman's gonna take their man. I talk about seeing the glass half empty. Look at all that another way, the right way, mixing up races, the fucking best.
Starting point is 00:21:13 Hey, Lucifina, all the dicks are in place. So are all the sweet, sweet pussies. Why have it any other way? Right, a dick and pus fucking smorgasbord, all colors. That's clearly the best way to live. I mean, what straight white man in his right fucking mind would want someone who looks like Jennifer Hudson to be off the table? I will not! I make sure something like enormous to a beast fucking sweaty, a fucking lumpy headed, I will not defile myself with those titties in my face. Get the fuck out of here.
Starting point is 00:21:46 What straight white woman would want Idris Elba to be off limits? You know what? What fucking gay, by straight, whatever the fuck person that many race or sexual persuasion wants Idris Elba off the table? Can we all agree that Idris transcends the confines of race, gender, and sexual orientation? Like I think it's a dude, you can have sex with Idris Elba and you can still be straight. But I digress. Uh, just such stupid shit, right, to believe. If you just think about it, just even just like a little bit.
Starting point is 00:22:11 Uh, back to Mississippi, freaking out over the possibility of desegregation. The governor and other officials spoke out against the brown versus board ruling and the movement to organize private groups to promote continued segregation and to fight integration, gain momentum in the state. And of course, gained a lot of fucking momentum along the rural and incredibly uneducated counties in today's tale. On July 11th, 1954, the so-called Indian Nollular Citizens Council was formed to promote segregation in Indianola, Mississippi. They'll serve as a model for other pro-segregationist groups in the rest of the state.
Starting point is 00:22:44 Few months later, October 12th, 1954, the Association of Citizens Councils of Mississippi, the ACCM is formed. They're in 1955 annual report. Excuse me, uh, states are stated that the organization had 60,000 active members and 253 councils throughout the state. Councils claim to promote segregation through legal means, but at least one of their flyers reflects the use of intimidation. And the fact that the threat of violence was sanctioned by these groups. I like to claim whatever the
Starting point is 00:23:09 fuck they wanted to. All these groups are KKK adjacent at best KKK equivalent at worst. In 1963, Hugh Stephen Whitaker, an academic who wrote a case study in Southern Justice, the Emmett Till case, for his master thesis, interviewed the jurors and Emmett Till's murder trial when he was, uh, or when it was all over. And he learned that every single juror without exception, every single one was visited by members of the ACCM to make sure they voted, quote, the right way. Wink, wink, sure we'd hate to burn across in your yard, buddy. She would hate it if he did the wrong thing. We had to, you know, make an example out of you in yours. That kind
Starting point is 00:23:50 of shit. The 2006 FBI reports summarized the environment of the Mississippi Delta in the 1950s stating, the white citizens of Mississippi were bombarded daily with news surrounding the end of segregated schools, efforts by blacks to register to vote and the heated calls for the defense of their segregated way of life. Senators congressman, the state assembly, the governor and most public officials were calling on the population to defend the status quo, to defy the Supreme Court implementation ruling, oppose federal efforts to enforce segregated schools and to continue poll practices which disenfranchised blacks.
Starting point is 00:24:23 The fear that they would lose control of their way of life permeated the lower socioeconomic segments of the white community. The segment of the community in particular believed they had the most to lose if the black community truly became equal. Right small, scared people afraid of change, afraid of equality, afraid of losing their traditional way of life. Clearly when Emmett Till came to Mississippi to visit family, he was entering an Extremely fucking hostile environment. He was seen as a threat even though he was a young teen
Starting point is 00:24:50 He was viewed as a as a future that so many of Mississippi's white folk so dreaded a black man who did not think he needed to stay in his place Someone who thought he was an equal Now let's discuss how the press portrayed Emmett Till versus his accuser Carolyn Bryant. Local news outlets tried to villainize Emmett during his trial, of course, from the very beginning, make it seem like, you know, he had it coming. White residents of Mississippi viewed black journalists from other parts of the country and white northern reporters as outside agitators, just trying to cause trouble. The sheriff and what a fucking piece of work the sheriff was, we'll get to know him later.
Starting point is 00:25:28 Made it clear he was not going to allow black reporters in the courtroom at trial. Of course, you never used the word black to describe them. But then those journalists got in anyway when some race traitor up in the Northern white journalist pushed for it, but they had to stay in one corner of the courtroom and had no place to sit. Corner or not, the fact that they even made it in was very upsetting for many locals. Right? They're coming for us. They're going to be all equals. They're coming for all women out
Starting point is 00:25:53 children. And then soon we will all be the white slaves of the black man. They will do to us what we have done to them. Be afraid. Numerous scholars have noted how traditional gender roles and white supremacy worked together in the south around the time of Emmett's murder and trial to lead to the non-guilty verdict for his killers. Angie Maxwell, a political science professor at the University of Arkansas, told CNN that white women were morally untouchable in the Jim Crow South. And even though the sphere was based, uh, not on evidence, uh, it was thought that the white women needed conspertection from black men.
Starting point is 00:26:24 I don't want to derail the episode by getting deep into the weeds with it, but there are countless examples of cases of black girls and women being raped or gang raped by white men in the Jim Crow and pre civil rights, er, South, lots of fucking brutal, very hard to read documented examples, almost zero examples of black men raping white women. A lot of accusations, very little proof.
Starting point is 00:26:45 It's also fucking crazy, it's also backwards, right? This is white aggressors playing the victim. It's as insane as somebody you've never met kicking in your door, beating the shit out of you in your house, then calling the police who come to arrest you in your own house. While the person who just broke in and beat you cries about being so scared of you, right?
Starting point is 00:27:04 That they had to fucking beat you. And then the police bring you up on assault charges. Like this is all that insane. Maxwell said that the white women's role in maintaining white supremacy has been downplayed in history because they were not the direct perpetrators of racial violence, but the role was significant, right? So they might not have swung the fists, cracked the whip
Starting point is 00:27:23 or pulled the trigger, but they knew what they were doing when they sounded the alarm they knew what it would lead to as an example of how they were protected and arrest warrant will be issued for carol and brine for kidnapping Emmett Till on august 29th 1955 LaFlora county sheriff George Smith not the hated sheriff he's going to be a different guy set on September 4th as quoted by the Clary on ledger We aren't going to bother the women are excuse me. We aren't going to bother the woman. She's got two small boys to take care of talk Talk about preferential treatment. I know I know It appears is if she has helped kidnap a young black man who did nothing
Starting point is 00:28:00 But turn up dead and that is unfortunate But the fact of the matter is she have some youngins that need proper rear-end, some beautiful white children. So we's not gonna disrupt the nuclear family unit of this fine white lady folk. I don't know, it's fucking do what you wanna guess. You're above the law. Black mother's not given near to the same respect
Starting point is 00:28:19 or status as white mothers, of course. When Mammy Tillmobli Emmett's mother said she was positive that the body found in the river was her son. Uh, the fuckhead sheriff, Lee the investigation said, the whole thing looks like a deal made up by the national association for the advancement of colored people. What?
Starting point is 00:28:36 This fucking dead body? They just what? They just fucking invented it. I don't know. Uh, nice, uh, use of empathy there. In, uh, in 2022, Penial Joseph, history professor, Barbara Jordan, Chair and Ethics and Political Values, and founding director of the Center for the Study
Starting point is 00:28:53 of Race and Democracy at the LG, he has a long fucking title. It's about 75 words. And democracy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Called Emmett Till, man, before I get there, it's fucking communist and fucking academics, they have longer titles sometimes. Anyway, called Emmett Till the first martyr of the modern civil rights era.
Starting point is 00:29:16 And Joseph compared Carolyn Bryant, later Carolyn Bryant, Donum, to modern day carons, which he defined as white women who weaponize their privilege against black people when they feel disturbed in some way. Fucking carons. The world has always had them and they always fucking suck. Joseph wrote in this sense, Donum is the civil rights movement's ultimate Karen white woman whose actions did not just embarrass threatened or humiliated black lives. Her actions helped to extinguish the bright light that was till. Emmett's murder often cited, as I've said, as the very beginning of the modern civil
Starting point is 00:29:48 rights movement, according to a page about Emmett Till from the Library of Congress website. The newspaper coverage and murder trial galvanized a generation of young African Americans to join the civil rights movement out of fear that such an incident could happen to friends, family or even themselves. Many interviewees, sorry, this cold is not helping the mush mouth, in the civil rights history project, remember how this case deeply affected their lives. Joyce Ladner, civil rights activist from Mississippi, who was a young girl when Emma was killed, coined the term Emmett Till generation, which describes black baby boomers in the South who were inspired to join the civil rights movement to demand equal treatment. Emmett's death was the spark that led
Starting point is 00:30:29 to the fire. Martin Luther King Jr delivered a sermon days after the acquittal titled Pride versus humility, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, where he said, the white man who lynched Negro's worship Christ, that jury in Mississippi, which a few days ago in the Emmett Till case, freed two white men from what might be considered one of the most brutal and inhuman crimes of the 20th century, worships Christ. The perpetrators of many of the greatest evils in our society worship Christ. This trouble is that all people like the Pharisee go to church regularly. They pay their tithes and offerings and observe religiously the various ceremonial requirements.
Starting point is 00:31:05 The trouble with these people, however, is that they worship Christ emotionally and not morally. They cast his ethical and moral insights behind the gushing smoke of emotional adoration and ceremonial piety. A former Suxtub to King episode 42 back in 2017, man, dude had a fucking way with worth. I like this excerpt. Worshiping emotionally but not morally right going to church singing the songs saying oh man after a meal what the fuck does any of that really mean if in between Sundays you're gonna kill a teen like Emmett Till or maybe for maybe flirting with a white woman or at least be okay with that happening. What does it mean if you acquit obvious murderous
Starting point is 00:31:43 because the white and the victim is black? Well, that doesn't mean shit. Uh, King also gave his famous, I have a dream speech on the anniversary of Emmett's murder, not a coincidence. Another civil rights leader, Rosa Parks, heard Mississippi activist Dr. TRM Howard talk about Emmett Till at a rally on November 27th, 1955. The story stuck with her, inspired her. Uh, when the Reverend Jesse Jackson asked why she refused to move from her seat, she answered, I thought of Emmett Till and I couldn't go back. Hail Rose Parks, Hail Emmett Till and Hail Nimrod. Emmett's mother, Mamma Till Mowbly, often credited as an extremely important figure in the civil rights movement. After the trial, the NAACP helped her travel across the country to talk about her son, the organization gained an untold
Starting point is 00:32:27 amount of new members and donations because of her. Christopher Benson, the journalist who co-wrote Mami's autobiography, told Smithsonian Magazine, Mami opened that casket and opened our eyes. We could never turn away again from our responsibility. Everyone had to be accountable. Everyone who had committed acts of racial violence, everyone who had stood by to let it happen,
Starting point is 00:32:47 she made sure that for an entire nation, there no longer could be any innocent bystanders. Man, that's powerful shit. Could you be that strong? If Emmett was your child, I hope I could, but I don't know that I could. Certainly hope I never find out. Well, with all this context established,
Starting point is 00:33:04 let's now begin the timeline of the life and murder of Emmett Till. Right after today's mid-ish show, Sponsor Break. Thanks, as always, for listening to those sponsors. Hope you're able to save some money and get something great. And now let's really meet Emmett Till. Shrap on those boots, soldier.
Starting point is 00:33:25 We're marching down a time-suck timeline. July 25, 1941, Emmett Lewis Till, born in Chicago, Illinois. He was the only child of a Lewis and Mamie Till. His mother, Mamie Carthon, was her maiden name, born on November 23rd, 1921 near Webb, Mississippi. Her parents were John and Alma Carthon. She would change her name a couple of times, start her life from Carthon to Till, then Till Bradley, then Till Moby.
Starting point is 00:34:00 In January of 1924, Mamie's mother had moved to Argo, Illinois. Her father already there, working at the Argo Corn Products Refinning Company. Argo, a subdivision that was annexed by Summit Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Argo is still commonly used but no longer the village's proper name. Mammy's family was part of the Great Migration of approximately six million black Americans who left the South from the 1910s to the 1970s. Talked about that migration in a ton of episodes now. After moving, she still spent many of her summers visiting members of her family back in
Starting point is 00:34:32 Mississippi, Mammy graduated from Argo Community High School, June of 1940, just the fourth black graduate of that school. And October 14th that year, she married 18 old Lewis till Lewis born February 7th 1922 He was an orphan grew up in new Madrid, Missouri new Madrid Just like the one in Spain, but you know, but better newer New Madrid, I've never been but I was curious Looked after this town has the same name as Madrid Spain, which is like a fucking world-class city from what I hear and from what I've seen online. I did a lot of poking around and new Madrid, not the same as Madrid.
Starting point is 00:35:10 I feel very confident saying it is a, I would call it a total shithole. Around 2700 people live there and all of them, whether they realize it or not are being punished to some degree. Spaniard settled the area around 1780 and it looks like it's been going downhill pretty much ever since. Historically, it's known for having had a lot of earthquakes, coal plant pollution, and lynchings. I look to see what businesses are open there on Google Maps. I found this nightclub.
Starting point is 00:35:38 Those nightclub, and when you click on it to see pictures of it, there's just pictures of a shitty yard with a bunch of dead grass, few cars parked on the grass, and shed with one window that's boarded up. That's fucking sad nightclub. There is at least four cemeteries, so if nothing else, it's a good place to be buried.
Starting point is 00:35:56 The two most rated restaurants seem to be a pizza hut and a Casey's pizza. And anyone living there, if you're listening to this, I just wanna remind you that at any time, you could just start walking out of town. And then once you make it outside of Madrid, you could just keep walking, and you could just abandon your old life.
Starting point is 00:36:12 Try and make it to the old Madrid in Spain, right? That Madrid, again, looks fucking amazing. Or if you can't make it there, try for St. Louis or Kansas City or Springfield, Missouri, or just a river, just walking to the river, and you know what if you make it to their side great and if you don't maybe still better than the midrid anyway now that I've lost all my new Madrid listeners Lewis Till he also worked
Starting point is 00:36:36 at the Argo corn company man he's parents disapprove of Lewis and thought he was too sophisticated for her man me ended the relationship her mother's insistence but Lewis was persistent and they got back together and then their son, and it was born about nine months later. 1942 and little Emmett, either one or not quite one, Lewis and Mammy separated, Lewis cheated on her and Mammy left him. Strong woman, Lewis was furious and attacked Mammy. He choked her until she nearly lost consciousness and then she threw scowled in water at him and
Starting point is 00:37:04 after fighting him off, obtained a restraining order against Lewis after violating this order multiple times, a judge forced him to choose between prison and served in the army. He chose the army. 1943, he enlisted and served during World War II. Then in 1945, when Emma was four, Manny learned that Lewis died while serving in Europe. She was not given a full report of his death. We'll talk about that much later. One of the few possessions she received was his cigarette ring with his initials on it.
Starting point is 00:37:30 1946, when Emma was five, he became sick with polio. It's crazy to think about how fucking recent polio was affecting people. I think it still affects people in certain parts of the world. I don't have that, I haven't looked at it up for this episode. So maybe I'm wrong, but I'm 99% sure it does. He recovered, but the disease left him with a slight stutter
Starting point is 00:37:47 for the rest of his life and a bit of a limp. Mami and Emmett lived in her mom's house in Chicago, despite raising her son as a single mom, when Emmett's, or with Emmett's father out of the picture. She described her life as close to perfect as you could get. Emmett lived in a middle-class neighborhood on the South side of Chicago, PBS described it as a mecca, in which black owned establishments thrived. There were, you know, black insurance companies, tailors, pharmacists, barbers, salons, nightclubs
Starting point is 00:38:12 that were fucking a lot better than that one in New Madrid, and it was pride. Emmett Till was, of course, painfully aware of racism existing in America and around Chicago, but where he grew up, and this is important. Black men held their heads up high, considered themselves equal to white men. He was not raised to think of himself as less than. That was foreign to him. It's very different than if he had been raised in Mississippi. Emmett attended McCosh Elementary School, which was an all black school.
Starting point is 00:38:38 Emmett had a lot of friends, was always into something according to his mom. Manny believed he would someday make a good lawyer or politician. And it's friends and family called him Bobo. Sometimes referred to in sources with a nickname of Bo, reminds me of my daughter, Minro, Momo, or Mo. And Bo was said to be a thoughtful and considerate child. Mami often worked more than 12 hours a day.
Starting point is 00:39:01 She was a clerk for the Air Force and was in charge of confidential files. With mom away at work, Mami had to take on a lot of responsibility at home. Mamulator said about her son, Emmett had all the house responsibility. I mean, everything was really on his shoulders and Emmett took it upon himself. He told me if I would work and make the money, he would take care of everything else. He cleaned and he cooked quite a bit and he even took over the laundry. Well, despite a lot of responsibility on his young shoulders overall, Emma was said to
Starting point is 00:39:30 be very happy child. And it's cousin Wheeler Parker said about him. He loved to tell jokes. He would pay people to tell him jokes. I love that. I love that he would literally give his buddy some coin just to hear a good joke. By the time Emma became a teenager, rock and roll was popular, right? He's a new music genre, like most teens, he fucking liked it, like to fucking rock. Richard heard one of Emma's classmates and the man who will fill our Nimrod Decree Ditt quote for this week, told PBS,
Starting point is 00:39:57 there was a good time because where we grew up, a lot of guys listened to the moon glows. Or no, I'm sorry, that was a good time because where we grew up, a lot of guys listened to the moon glows, the flamingos and the sp was a good time because where we grew up a lot of guys listen to the moon glows The flamingos and the spaniels we try to imitate them in our little singing groups. There's a lot of fun The moon glows and the spaniels Literally never heard of those groups before
Starting point is 00:40:15 The spaniels formed in 1952 mostly known songwires for their hit good night sweetheart good night They've been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group Haley not a Gary Indiana and some some of the story instinct they pioneered having one guy be the frontman of a vocal group. The moon blows, form in Cleveland in 1951, had a song sincerely go to number one of the Billboard R&B chart. And we're inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. And all those all these groups I just mentioned earlier, we're all black bands. and also dick heard
Starting point is 00:40:46 Dick West a few weeks ago and now dick heard this week Dick heard makes me picture what looks like a big heard of buffalo on the great planes of America like back in the 1850s But instead of buffalo there a bunch of dicks With buffalo legs. There's a couple hundred dicks. Just a fucking heard of dicks roaming the plane grazing Looking for a puss herd to have some kind of planes orgy with her. Maybe looking for a herd of bottles. Maybe a herd of pusses and bottles.
Starting point is 00:41:14 Anyone else's brain go there? Anyone else's brain there now? And last thing, take away just one letter and Emmett's buddy would have literally been named Dickhead. Anyway, Dick herd, Emmett's buddy, fellow R&B, and early rock and roll music lover, recalled going to Emmett's house one day in 1955 to eat baloney sandwiches.
Starting point is 00:41:31 What have they had American cheese on? Oh man, I love those as a kid. Anyone else eat a lot of baloney and craft singles on white bread with a little miracle whip? They were excited to see each other. That fall when school started again, it was supposed to be their eighth grade year. He told PBS, Emmett was a funny guy all the time. He had a suitcase of jokes
Starting point is 00:41:48 They like to tell you love to make people laugh He was a chubby kid most of the guys were skinny, but he didn't let that stand in his way He made a lot of friends at McCosh grammar school where we went to school And now let's look at what you know brought joke and rock and roll love and Emmett to Mississippi that fateful summer In August of 1955 Emmett's great great uncle, 64-year-old, Moe's right, came to Chicago from Mississippi to visit family for a funeral. Moe's went by the nickname of preacher to most people, or preacher right. Some sources also list his name as being Moses. Moe's was taken Emmett's cousin, Wheeler Parker, back with him to Mississippi to spend some time with family.
Starting point is 00:42:25 And Emmett wanted to come with them. Miami tried to talk her son, Emmett, out of, you know, going down there, wanted her, or wanted him to come with her to go on a vacation to Omaha, Nebraska instead, told him he could even learn how to drive on the trip. But Emmett was determined to go spend time with some cousins that he hadn't seen in years. Emmett had been to Mississippi three times before as a baby, as a toddler, and then at the age of nine. Emmett's Mississippi kin, the rights lived approximately a couple miles east of money Mississippi
Starting point is 00:42:53 along the dark fairy road on the Grover C. Frederick farm. While there's less than a hundred residents in the Flore County's unincorporated community of money Mississippi now, there was about 400 in the area in the early 50s. The name money comes from her Nando money. A US senator, he was in the Senate from 1897 to 1911. And the area was developed for cotton cultivation.
Starting point is 00:43:15 Sometime in the 19th century, got a post office in 1901, one source described money in the 1950s as a post office, filling station and three stores, clustered around a school and a gym and set in the vast lonely cotton patch that is the Mississippi Delta. Looking at pictures of money in Mississippi now, money in Mississippi makes new Madrid, Missouri
Starting point is 00:43:35 look like Madrid Spain. If you live in money and you move to literally any other place in America, worst case where you now live is equally shitty to where you used to live. I do not think it's possible to live in a worse place. It looks like a place where you're considered rich if you have indoor plumbing.
Starting point is 00:43:53 I'm not joking. It's beyond depressing. And I can't imagine what it was like in the 50s. Now that I've lost all my money, Mississippi listeners, I'm never going to fuck a deal with show in money, Mississippi, or New Madrid, Missouri now. Mamma didn't want Emmett to go to Mississippi. She told him about the unspoken rules. He'd have to follow.
Starting point is 00:44:12 She wrote in her autobiography, Death of Innocence, the story of the hate crime that changed America. Everything Emmett had come to believe all his life had to be unlearned as he prepared for the trip. She recalled Emmett telling her, oh, mom, I can't be that bad. And she told him, it's worse than that. Mamulator wrote, how do you give a crash course in hatred to a boy who was only ever known love?
Starting point is 00:44:35 According to Time magazine, Mamie warned Emmett to be very careful to humble himself to the extent of getting down on his knees. Damn. I think true humility is hard for just about any 14 year old to learn, right? You're just starting to come into your own, just starting to become a man in Emmett's case. And now you're being told to make sure you present yourself as less than make yourself small. So you don't threaten truly small people. No wonder, Mammy didn't want him to go, right? She knew it was going to be bad.
Starting point is 00:45:05 Had she known exactly how bad obviously she would have forbidden him from going, uh, but she knew it was likely going to be a hard, hard trip for her son. Surely before Emmett's visit in May and early August, 1955, two black men were murdered in Mississippi. Both murders remain unsolved. Uh, on May 7, 1955, Willie George Washington Washington Lee, a black minister from Belzona, Mississippi, was shot to death. Belzona just under an hour from money, 44 miles away. No one ever arrested or charged with his death.
Starting point is 00:45:33 Reverend George Lee was one of the first black people to qualify as a voter in Humphrey's County. Shortly before his murder, he'd recently let a drive for registration for more black voters in opposition to those citizens' councils. He died after his car crash into a house in Belzona. Authorities initially said he died from a car crash, but his family called in a black doctor and a black dentist who found metal particles in his jaw and powder burns. Witnesses also reported here in a shot before the car crash.
Starting point is 00:45:58 One witness said she thought she heard a domestic quarrel in a shot, looked at her door and saw a car coming down the sidewalk towards her house. Witnesses told Dr. C.C. battle, who was one of the experts brought in by the family to look into the Reverend's death, that a car pulled up near Lee's vehicle and then shot at him. The FBI lab also later found pieces of metal in Lee's face and determined they were similar in weight and composition to number three buck shot. So some of the fucker blasted him with a shotgun for trying to get his people to vote. And I'm strongly assuming there were eyewitnesses to his death who were
Starting point is 00:46:28 just too scared to testify or just didn't want to testify because you know, they were cool with what happened. On May 22nd, Roy Wilkins executive secretary of the NAACP said at a meeting that an atmosphere of racial hate created by the citizens councils caused the murder of George Lee. Wilkins said, whenever you have an organization made up a so-called respectable people, then somebody gets the idea that violence is okay. Wilkins executive secretary again in the NAACP said that George Lee, excuse me, was shot because he thought he ought to vote just like other Americans. Someone threatened him and told him he should withdraw his name from the registration list. He
Starting point is 00:47:04 refused to do this because he was an American and Americans have the right to vote The meeting where all this was said was called by Dr. A. H. McCoy President of the Mississippi branch of the NAACP to protest how authorities were handling this investigation Then on August 13th, 1955 just 15 days before Emmett's murder a 63 year old farmer World War two veteran In another black voting advocate Lamar Smith was killed in, fucking day lights on the courthouse lawn in Brookhaven, Mississippi, 160 miles from money, less than a three hour drive. Plenty of eyewitnesses, three white men were arrested but not indicted. Smith had been active in getting black people to vote, absentee ballots in the first primary.
Starting point is 00:47:43 No one could find any witnesses to admit they saw the shooting, which took place on the north side of the courthouse around 10 a.m. Noah Smith, a white farmer, did surrender himself to the sheriff on the 14th to other men later arrested, but no one ever indicted again. These men dared to openly fight for equality Mississippi in 1955 and killed for doing so. And their murders clearly not taken seriously by law enforcement. And you know, that sends a strong fucking message to the community. 1955, Mississippi, if you dared to defy the status quo as a black man, there were consequences and they were very severe. Mammy had good fucking reason to be worried about her son. Mississippi was clearly not a safe place for any black person. Let alone some kid from the North who did not understand
Starting point is 00:48:23 all the unspoken rules. On August 19th, 1955, the day before he left, Mammy gave Emmett his father's signate ring. You know, you put it on, of course, and this is significant as far as evidence later. I imagine she hoped it would bring him some good luck. Obviously it didn't. Following day, August 20th, Mammy dropped Emmett off at the 63rd street train station in Chicago, and that'll be the last time she would see her son alive. Emmett arrived in Money, Mississippi the next day, August 21st, supposed to stay there for two weeks.
Starting point is 00:48:52 During the first three days of his family visit, Emmett spent time with his cousins, right? They spent their time picking cotton for work, free time they did things like shooting fireworks, swimming, talking about girls, other normal things the teenage boys do. swimming, talking about girls, other normal things that teenage boys do. Three days after arriving Mississippi on August 24th, 1955, Emmett Till, six other teenage boys and one girl, stomped at Brian's grocery and meat market. After spending the morning and afternoon picking cotton, Brian's grocery owned by Roy and Carolyn Bryant, young white couple, the majority of their customers, black sharecroppers and their children.
Starting point is 00:49:24 Before progressing further into the faithful events of today's story, young white couple, the majority of their customers, black sharecroppers and their children, before progressing further into the faithful events of today's story, let's take a moment to get to know a few central figures in the Emmett Tillcase, a bit better. Roy Bryant born January 31st, 1931 in Charleston, Mississippi, 24 years old in 1955. Roy had served as a pair trooper in the army from 1953 to 1953, so a veteran of the Korean War,
Starting point is 00:49:46 the son of Yula Bryant and Slash, well Yula Bryant made name Yula, Millum, grew up in a, or Millum, grew up in a poor family, big poor family, his mother had 11 kids between two husbands. Roy worked part-time for his half-brother, I said, made name, I don't know why I fucking, wherever I fucking go, off my note, Millum, that was one of her married names.
Starting point is 00:50:11 She was Yule Bryant, one husband, Yule Millum, was another husband, it's not that complicated, but it's fucking babbling there. Roy worked part-time for his half brother, John William J. Deb, Millum, J. Deb, who owned a trucking business. Uh, that little grocery store didn't pay all the bills and it was a very little store. Looking at picks to me, it looks to be about, I don't know, half the size of a typical
Starting point is 00:50:34 7-Eleven or other corner store today. Uh, J. Deb hired Roy to drive for him and deliver goods. Roy also had experience working in welding. It's half brother J. Dub. Millum was born February 18th 1919 served in the army from 1941 to 1946. Earned a purple heart in World War II. The Millum's moved to Glendor, Mississippi in 1950, about 20 miles from money. And the Millum's and the Bryant's operated a number of stores that primarily cater to the black community. J. Dub owned a general store service station in Glendorra where he allegedly also sold moonshine. Millum had partial ownership and at least two other stores, one of which was the one owned by Roy Bryant. Hugh Steven Whitaker interviewed individuals who knew
Starting point is 00:51:15 Millum and Bryant and they were referred to as Peckerwoods, White Trash and other terms of disappropriation. dis-approvation. Peckerwood is slang to describe a poor white person. More specifically, a Southern poor, un-culture white person. I know it's a hateful slur, but as a white guy who didn't grow up in the South, but did grow up poor and un-culture, and I've always found the term Peckerwood hilarious.
Starting point is 00:51:39 It reminds me of like the old Woody Woodpecker cartoons or something. As you picture a mashable Woody Woodpecker and just some kind of good old boy out of deliverance or something. Leslie Miller, another brother of Roy and J. Dub managed to farm on the Clint Sheridan plantation located near Drew, Mississippi in sunflower county. Leslie was born in 1925. This guy, this Pecker Wood was 30 years old when all this shit goes down.
Starting point is 00:52:04 Drew's about 30 miles from money and and this farm and important location in, in the case, Roy's wife. Pekkerwood, uh, Madge Carolyn Halloway, the Karen of our tale was born on July 23rd, a 1934 on a plantation near Kruger, Mississippi, just 21. Carolyn's father was like another Pekkerwood,wood, was a plantation manager and a prison guard. She died when she was a teenager and her mother worked as a nurse after his death. She was living in Indianola, Mississippi. Carolyn was a poor Southern, Southern bell of Swar...
Starting point is 00:52:35 A Peckerwood bell. I'm gonna use that word a lot. Go forward. It's cracked me out, not Southern, but I feel like I can say as much as I want because I did grow up white poor and large and culture uh Carolyn even her name sounds almost like Karen Uh, one two beauty pageants in high school at the age of 16 she dropped out a school to a low with Roy
Starting point is 00:52:53 And then a 21 or then a 20 year old army infantryman she met him two years earlier at a party According to Devery S Anderson author of Emmett Till the murder that shocked the world and propelled the civil rights movement Carolyn and always been attracted to bad boys The Devilry S. Anderson author of Emmett Till, the murder that shocked the world and propelled the civil rights movement. Carolyn and always been attracted to bad boys. Carolyn Roy had two young Pecker Woods, Roy Jr. and Thomas Lamar. Carolyn Roy were like everyone else in the story. Poor. These Pecker Woods had no car, lived in the back of their tiny ass store with their two kids.
Starting point is 00:53:20 When not working, Carolyn and Roy spent most of their time visiting family in the area, going to the local Baptist church, and on the rare occasion when they could borrow a car and get away from the kids. They would typically go to a driving movie Can driving theaters please make you come back by the way Never went to one grown up but been to a few sins and there was something Really romantic and special about them and also as I record this I feel like one of the only people on earth who hasn't seen either Oppenheimer or Barbie Carolyn worked the store while Roy did extra jobs to make more money. On August 24th, 1955, Roy was hauling some shrimp for his peckerwood brother, which is
Starting point is 00:53:54 why Carolyn was working their peckerwood store alone. Brian Shanley stayed open until 9 p.m. on weekdays, 11 p.m. on Saturdays, clothes on Sundays. Carolyn refused to work the store alone in the evenings out of fear when Roy was gone. Every afternoon, one of her Pekkawood's sister-in-law's would come to stay with her until closing, then they waited for one of their Pekkawood husbands to take them home, and Kevin will be driven back next day. Now that we have a feel for the normal day-to-day
Starting point is 00:54:20 of this little Pekkawood operation, let's transition back to the events that allegedly transpired inside the grocery store that set a murder in motion and sparked a civil rights movement. After spending a few minutes out front sometime between 7.30 and 8 p.m. Emmett and one other boy went into the store. They bought something, the boy bought something not Emmett. And Emmett was left alone in the store with Carolyn Bryant then for roughly one minute as I alluded to the very beginning of the episode. No one except for Carolyn Bryant and Emmett Till will ever know exactly what truly happened inside the store for that minute. And only one of these people ever went on the record to say what happened.
Starting point is 00:54:56 Emmett never got the chance to tell his side of the story. The following is Carolyn Bryant's account of events. One of her accounts. I should add because her story will keep changing, which is the sign of a liar. Originally for the trial, Carolyn said she was working alone in the store that evening. Her sister-in-law, Juanita Millum, was in the back with her children and Carolyn's children. She was close by able to hear Carolyn call off her help if needed, but not actually witnessed anything happening in the store. Juanita came from Glendora again about 20 miles
Starting point is 00:55:25 away. She parked her vehicle from the store, J.Dub, Miloma, Juanita's husband, supposed to pick her and carry them up that night. The Peckerwood women had a Roy's 38-cult pistol under the front seat if they needed it. Around 7.30 pm, a group of eight young black people, seven boys and a girl, parks outside the store in a 1946 fort. They were the sons, grandkids, and nephew of 64 year old, Mose, preacher, right. And they ranged in age from 13 to 19. Emmett's group joined up with about 12 other young people outside the store when he got there.
Starting point is 00:55:55 They'd come over to buy some candy. Emmett's cousin, Maurice Wright, had driven them. The Brian's kept checkers out front. Some of the kids were playing checkers, and some of the kids were kiddin' about girls. Emmet apparently bragged about having a white girlfriend and showed off a picture he had in his wallet. And then one of the group dared Emmet to try to get a date.
Starting point is 00:56:13 And again, this is just one version of the story. Try to get a date with the white woman inside the store. So, you know, just kids fooling around, normal teenage and preteen stuff. Emmet went inside to ask for two cents worth of bubble gum when Carolyn put the gum on the counter. He allegedly squeezed her hand and said, how about a date, baby?
Starting point is 00:56:29 She jerked away, tried to go get Juanita, she would say. Emmett allegedly then jumped in front of her, possibly grabbed her waist and said, you needn't be afraid of me, baby. I've been with white girls before. Some sources say he allegedly used an unprintable word instead of been with. Maybe slept with width maybe fucked I
Starting point is 00:56:46 doubt it one of its cousins now came in and took him outside Carolyn went outside to grab that pistol Well outside Emmett wolf whistled at Carolyn before he and his cousins and friends drove off Carolyn then told Juan Eda what happened? They decided not to tell J. Dub when he picked him up knowing the repercussions Right, they knew it would lead to violence The following detailed account comes now, or this little portion of the account comes from Simeon Wright, from his 2010 book, Simeon's story,
Starting point is 00:57:12 and I witness account of the kidnapping of Emmett Till. Simeon, one of the kids present that day, 12 years old. Few months away from turnin' 13. He was one of Emmett's cousins. When he first met, he will call him Bobo. And he said, as we reach Brian's store's store we continued our usual small talk and banter We were still excited about today's events happy to be in town together We all got out of the car and we're milling around in the front of the store when Wheeler went in to buy popper candy
Starting point is 00:57:37 Bobo went in after him then Wheeler came out leaving Bobo in their loan More recently, he sent me into the store to be with Bobo He was concerned about Bob bubble being in the store alone because of what had happened on the previous Sunday when bubble had set his fireworks off inside the city limits. He just didn't know the Mississippi rules. And Maurice felt the sometime that excuse me, and Maurice felt that someone should be with bubble at all times. For less than a minute, he was in the store alone with Carolyn Bryant, the white woman working at the cash register, what he said if anything before I came in, I don't know. All I was in the store, Bobo did nothing inappropriate. He didn't grab Mrs. Bryant,
Starting point is 00:58:13 nor did he put his arms around her. That was the story she later told of the court, a counter separated the customers from the store clerk. Bobo would have had to jump over it to get to Mrs. Bryant. Bobo didn't ask her for over it to get to Mrs. Bryant. Bobo didn't ask her for a date or call her baby. There was no lecturers conversation between them. And after a few minutes, he paid for his items and we left the store together. We had been outside the store only a few seconds
Starting point is 00:58:35 when Mrs. Bryant came out behind us, heading straight to her car as she walked, Bobo whistled at her. I think he wanted to get a laugh out of us or something. He was always joking around. And it was hard to tell when he was serious. It was a loud wolf whistle, a big city just, and it caught us all by surprise. We all looked at each other, realizing that Bobo had violated a longstanding unwritten law,
Starting point is 00:58:57 a social taboo about conduct between blacks and whites in the south. Suddenly we felt we were in danger and we stared at each other all with the same expression of fear and panic Like a group of boys who had thrown a rock through somebody's window. We ran to the car Bobo with a slight limp from the polio. He contracted as a child ran along with us But not as panic stricken as we were After seeing our fright, it did slowly dawn on him that he had done something wrong I didn't even fucking know
Starting point is 00:59:24 Also glad I'm not doing this episode on acid so I can whistle. Maurice Wright told the UPI and report published on September 1st, 1955 that Emmett went into the store and asked for some bubble and left after telling the women goodbye. Outside Emmett gave a wolf call. I told him to be careful of what he had said in the store. And what if that's all he did? Whistle. Maybe floored it a little inside the store but never touched her and then paid for that shit with his life. Even if he did put his hands on her. At most, maybe that deserves banishment from the store and a hey kid, don't be putting your hands on my wife or anyone else who doesn't want you
Starting point is 01:00:01 you know to be putting their hands on them. And that would be the case if he's black or white. Talk about the punishment not fitting the crime, if there was even a crime, which as we go forward becomes increasingly doubtful, I will say. I really think that Carolyn Bryant was full of fucking shit. This incident undoubtedly exaggerated, completely blown out proportion by the local rumor mill was reportedly now the talk of the area. On August 26, two days after Emmett touched or didn't touch Carolyn Bryant, when her husband Roy comes back from hauling some scripts from New Orleans to Brownsville, Texas, a black
Starting point is 01:00:33 customer at the store tells him what had happened instead of black teenager visited from Chicago. Was a kid who allegedly harassed Carolyn by the fuck. What are you telling that? I don't know, maybe this customer didn't want the wrong person taking the heat or something. Roy then quickly asked Carolyn if she wanted to tell him anything. She said no, which angered him. He demanded to know what happened. And that was when Carolyn told him this version of events
Starting point is 01:00:55 which she would then repeat a trial. Emma Grabter, he scared her and here we fucking go. Next day, August 27th, 1955, plans are being made by Roy and others to kidnap Emmett Till to quote, teach him a lesson. That same day Emmett oblivious to how much trouble he's in writes a letter to his mom, which he says, I'm having a fine time around 10, 30 PM that night, J. Dub Millum comes the store Roy tells him that he planned to whip the slur omitted.
Starting point is 01:01:23 That evening, Roy and Carolyn Bryant, J. Dub Millam and Johnny Washington, a black man who did odd jobs for Roy, all headed out together in the truck to look for Emmett, even though they didn't actually know his name at that time. Well, in some version, they know his name, some versions, they don't. In this version, they said they saw a black teenager walking home, Brian ordered Washington to throw him into the back of the truck. He did his ass. Then Carolyn came out to the truck to tell Brian that he was not the right person. So Brian now ordered Johnny Washington to throw this kid out of the back of the truck. He does so literally throwing the poor kid so hard that he lands on his head and loses his front
Starting point is 01:01:56 fucking teeth. Poor kid literally had done nothing. If anybody just fucking walk at home. Now would these guys be charged with violently assaulting this kid? No, of course not. Then at this point Brian and Millam learned that the person they're looking for is staying at the home of preacher aka Moe's right. Some version of the story they they knew where he was before they even got out in the truck and were heading to Moe's right house from the very beginning. So after in this version doing a bit more planning, perhaps grabbing a bite to eat, maybe having a few drinks, they drive over to a preacher's home. At 2.30 the morning, August 28th, 1955, Millum, Bryant, likely two other people make it to
Starting point is 01:02:30 preacher's house. They find Emmett abduct him from his uncle's home. Shit, of course, gets real fucking ugly, real fucking quick. Inside the home, at the time of Emmett's kidnapping, where Mose and Elizabeth Wright, the couple, their three sons, Emmett, his cousin Wheeler, and M Elizabeth Wright's right, the couple, their three sons Emmett, his cousin Wheeler, and mose Wright's grandson. Emmett and his cousins were home after going out drinking, looking for girls in Greenwood about 10 miles away.
Starting point is 01:02:52 They were asleep when someone called out mose Wright's nickname, a preacher. Preacher went to the door, saw Roy Bryant who identified himself, said he wanted to talk to quote a fat boy from Chicago. Bryant was standing with J. Dub Millum and a black man who was hiding his face But who would later admit his identity to be oath of Johnson When most would not tell them where Emmett was the man just barged in Started looking around helping themselves they searched the beds in the house and then found Emmett J. Dub shine to flashlight and Emmett's face and asked you the slur omitted that did the talking down at money
Starting point is 01:03:30 Emmett supposed the answer with one word. Yeah. Millen responded. Don't say yeah to me slur omitted. I'll blow your head off. Get your clothes on. Most right now beg them not to take em it anywhere. Emits causing more Reese right later told a reporter for the local newspaper, the Greenwood Commonwealth. Paper has been around since 1896. how his father pleaded with the men, not to take him away, saying, just take him out in the yard and whip him, and I'll be satisfied. Fox say, Roy, now seem hesitant to take him anywhere, but J.Dub and sits on going through with whatever they had planned. They warned the rights, they would be killed if they told anyone that these guys
Starting point is 01:04:02 would come to their house, and then they led Emmett to their vehicle outside Mose was standing on the porch. It was dark out. He couldn't see much at this point Most heard one of the men ask whether Emmett was the right one a voice Possibly a pecker would woman's voice said he was No one knows was certainty if this was Carolyn Bryant, but it's believed to be Carolyn She would deny though being there during the abduction Maybe she wasn't maybe she lied because of how ashamed she was to be involved in all this. Again, exact events over the next several hours not confirmed. Generally, except that Bryant and Millam did bring Emmett to Carolyn to be identified shortly after they abducted him if she wasn't there already.
Starting point is 01:04:44 According to Bryant and Millam's later confession, these peckahwoods intended to quote, just whip him and scare some sense into him. That was a quote, you know, just whip. Is if that's not a big fucking deal. We didn't mind no one, no harm, no how. We just won't take that ball out of his bed and just whip him a bit. Just a just a gentle whip in to gently remind him to behave himself. And then they knew they had the right kid or after they knew they had the right kid. They drove around looking for a steep cliff. They couldn't find it. So they drove to a barn on Leslie Millam's property, his farm located in Drooman,
Starting point is 01:05:11 Mississippi. Young local man named Willie Reed would later testify that he saw a truck park in front of the barn on this farm with four white men in the cab, three black men standing in the back and a black boy seated in the bed of the trucks. There's more people in this version. That changes in version to how many people who were a part of this is not known. As history has gone on, recently it seems most people believe there was quite a few people involved in this. Maybe it doesn't. A minutes later, he heard a holleron and whipping coming from the barn. He said in later interviews, read, identified the four men who entered the barn as Roy Bryant, Jay Dub,
Starting point is 01:05:42 Millum, Levi, two tight Collins, who was a truck driver for Millum and another black man. God, fuck, I love that name, two tight. Possible that Emmett was killed inside the barn. Bryant and Millum gave different accounts of events. Bryant Millum said that Emmett was defiant, even after he was pissed a whipped, they reported that Emmett said,
Starting point is 01:06:00 you bastards, I'm not afraid of you. I'm as good as you are, I've had white women. Did he say that? I don't know about that. After leaving the farm, the individuals in the truck briefly stopped at Millam's grocery store in Lendora. A witness said he saw blood running out of the bed of the truck and pooling on the ground. Holy shit. When someone pointed that out to Millam, he said he killed a deer.
Starting point is 01:06:20 When he was told it wasn't deer season, he pulled back the tarp on the bed of the truck and allegedly revealed Emmett's dead body and said This is what happens to smart slur omitted J. Dub Millum claimed that he shot Emmett in the head on the banks of the tally hatchet river But this could have been a story to protect his brother Leslie who was facing prosecution for something else already Bryant Millum then drove to the tally hatchet river through Emmett's body into it. Before they did so, they stopped at the progressive ginning company to steal a fan to weigh down the body, hoping to hide the evidence, at least physical evidence of what they'd done. They tied the fan to Emmett's neck.
Starting point is 01:06:54 The barbed wire rolled his body in the river. In total, the killer's traveled between 16 150 miles across three counties during all of this. That same morning, Moe's right contacts to LaFlora County sheriff about his nephews' abduction. Emmett's cousin, Simeon Wright, wrote about what he witnessed that night in his book, Simeon's story. When my father opened the door, he saw two white men stand on the porch. One of them, Jay Dubmelum, we would learn later, was tall, thick, set, and balding. He had a gun in one hand and a flashlight in the other. The second man was almost as tall tall but not as heavy.
Starting point is 01:07:26 He was the one who had spoken, Roy Bryant. A third man stood behind Bryant, hiding his face from Dad. Dad believed he was a black man, someone who knew us. The white man entered the house to our front guest room where Wheeler and Maurice was sleeping. Dad woke Wheeler up first. Meadow told Dad that Wheeler was not the boy he was looking for. He was looking for the fat boy from Chicago.
Starting point is 01:07:46 Then I heard loud talking in my bedroom. In my half-conscious state, I had no idea what was going on. Was I dreaming? Or was it a nightmare? Why were these four white men in our bedroom with this hour? I rub my eyes and then shielded them, trying to see beyond the glare of the flashlight. The bald man ordered me to go back to sleep. Dad had to shake bubble for quite a while to wake him up. When he finally awoke, the bald man told bubble to get back to sleep. Dad had to shake Bobo for quite a while to wake him up.
Starting point is 01:08:08 When he finally awoke, the bald man told Bobo to get up and put his clothes on. It was then that I realized he had come to take him away. It wasn't clear to me what was going on and why they wanted just him. At first, I thought they had come to send him back to Chicago, but that didn't make sense at all. I was lying there frozen stiff and not moving when my mother rushed into the room. She began pleading with the men to not take Bobo. I could hear the fear in her voice.
Starting point is 01:08:28 She broke into a mixture of pleas and tears as she practically prayed for Bobo, asking the men not to harm him. The men ignored her, urging Bobo to hurry up and get dressed. He was still somewhat groggy and rubbing his eyes, but he quickly obeyed. My mother then offered them some money, not to take Bobo away.
Starting point is 01:08:44 I was now fully awake but still not moving. It was now crystal clear to me that these man rupt no good. They come from bubble and no amount of begging pleading or payment was going to stop them. Although dad had two shotguns in his closet, the 12 gauge and 410, he never tried to get them. If dad made a break for his guns, none of us will be alive today. I believe Milliman Bryan would prepare to kill us all. It's that the slightest provocation. I'm glad the dad dude didn't do anything to put us all in danger. Suddenly the same panic I had felt after Bubba had whistled at Mrs. Bryant returned and it was all I could do to stop trembling with fear realizing that Bubba was
Starting point is 01:09:17 not only in trouble, but in grave danger. My fear soon escalated into terror and I was still frozen stiff in my bed unable to move or to say anything. My mother's pleas continued as the man pushed an outdressed bubble from the room, bubble left the room without saying one word. There was no way I could have done that. Everyone along dark fear road would have heard my screams. And dark fear road was literally the name of the roads and rights lived on by the way. Man, just point that out since it can come across as, you know, dramatic, some kind of Hollywood
Starting point is 01:09:49 embellishment. Simeon continued, at the time I didn't know what had happened next, but according to my dad, the men took Bobo out to a car or truck that was waiting in the darkness. One of the men asked someone inside the vehicle that this was the right boy and dad said, he heard a woman's voice respond that it was. Then the man drove off with Bobo toward money. Man, imagine, imagine that shit happening to your child. Imagine over a fucking wolf whistle, a cat call over maybe flirting, maybe a fucking joke, just a little, someone coming into your fucking house in the middle of the night, right?
Starting point is 01:10:28 While armed, ready to kill every member of your family. If you dare disrespect him and the thugs he's brought with him, and they just fucking take your nephew out of bed. And you know, at the very least, he's gonna be whipped with an inch of his life, and there isn't shit you can do about it. Even if you grab your gun and you kill Roy Bryant and every member of his little fucking Lynch mob, you and at least all the male members of your household
Starting point is 01:10:53 that night will end up at the end of a hangman's rope. But that was the reality for this family. In the United States, the supposed land of the free, 10 years after Allied forces beat Hitler's Nazis, 10 years after all kind of, you know, America's the best, we're number one victory parades. What a brutal slap in the fucking face to so many of this nation's citizens. Many who also fought the Nazis, right? Many of the black men from this area, veterans of World War II, and then coming back to this
Starting point is 01:11:18 shit. Man, what a reminder that taking down a racist, megalomaniac across the Atlantic didn't do much to affect racism back home. We're such a fucking weird species. August 29th, 1955, Roy Bryant, J. Dub Millam, arrested on kidnapping charges in LaFort, Flora County, Mississippi, hell without bond in Greenwood. Carolyn was supposed to have been arrested,
Starting point is 01:11:40 but you know she had to hurt fucking Pekkerwood kids look after. So they decided not to arrest her, right? Addson, feel right. Do what you want. fucking peckerwood kids look after. So, this is not to arrest her, right? That doesn't feel right. Do what you want. The floor county sheriff, George W. Smith, not the sheriff I hate, said Emmett's whereabouts were still the $64 question. I'm kind of scared there's been foul play.
Starting point is 01:11:55 We'll meet the motherfucker I hate pretty soon. Roy Bryant claimed they had released Emmett. Sheriff Smith set his investigation, led him to the following conclusions, according to a 1955 Greenwood Commonwealth article. One of a group of Negro youths entered Brian's store at money and made some ugly remarks to Brian's wife. Early yesterday, a car containing three white men went to the home of Moe's right. Negro, a short way out of money, and asked if a boy from Chicago was here, right is Till's
Starting point is 01:12:24 uncle. Two of the men entered the house and came out with Till, right, asked where they were taking the boy, and the men replied, nowhere if he's not the right one. Right said he heard the man ask a woman in the car if Till was the right boy, and when she said yes, Till was placing the car in the mandrow of off. Meanwhile, Emmett's family in Chicago has now received news he has been kidnapped. Mammy and her family stated her mother's house in the days before Emmett's family in Chicago has now received news he has been kidnapped. Mammy and her family stayed at her mother's house in the days before Emmett was found. She could not get information from anyone in Mississippi.
Starting point is 01:12:51 She started calling papers in Chicago to tell them what she knew. Mammy's mother sorrow told her what very likely happened to Emmett though. She said she, quote, begin to realize that she had already given up hope. Mama had lived in Mississippi. Mama knew what it meant when white men came in the middle of the night in Mississippi. My God. August 29th, Miami had a meeting with the Chicago NAACP, which helped get the story out of Emmett's disappearance out to a national level. The mayor of Chicago and the governor of Illinois, to their credit, to white dudes in 1955, soon joined in the efforts to, uh, you know, get to the
Starting point is 01:13:25 bottom of what actually happened. Emmett. Carolyn Bryant gave her first statement to authorities about all this August 30th, 1955, her initial statement before the trial was that Emmett had insulted her. She did not say at this point that he grabbed her or insinuate that he attempted to, attempted to rape her. Following day, just three days after he went missing on August 31, 1955, Emmett Till's dead and badly beaten body found in the Tallahatchee River. A young boy who
Starting point is 01:13:52 was fishing saw a pair of knees sticking out of the water. Tallahatchee County Sheriff, H.C. Strider. This guy is the fuckhead I despise notified about the discovery. He called the little Florida County Sheriff's Office to make a report and it was badly disfigured. Body was swollen. Most of his teeth were missing. One ear was fucking gone and one of his eyes was hanging out of its socket. Before he was shot, he was beaten so fucking bad.
Starting point is 01:14:17 He very likely would have died anyway. Had he lived, he would have been horribly disfigured. These motherfuckers beat the hell out of a 14 year old child. Some chubby came with a limp from a bout with polio. Most preacher right identified the body as Emmett Till how traumatic that must have been an undertaker's assistant gave him the signet ring that once belonged to his father right the evidence that yes this is Emmett right later turned it into the Flore County deputy sheriff John Ed Cothrin. After examining the body the
Starting point is 01:14:44 Flore County Sheriff George W Smith Bryant and Millam would be charged with murder. Greenwood Commonwealth reported on September 1. Sheriff's Trider of Tallahatchie County said a warrant charging kidnapping had been issued for Mrs. Bryant, the storekeeper's wife, but that she could not be found at her home. He knew where she was. Again, there you see one of her rest her. The Greenwood Commonwealth also reported that Emma's mother said the entire state of Mississippi is going to pay for this. Cannot fucking imagine the hurt and rage she must have felt. Woo. Hope I never have to know that pain personally.
Starting point is 01:15:16 So 10th of first, 1985, Mississippi governor Hugh White orders that J. Dub Millam and Roy Bryant be fully prosecuted. White issued the statement, I have called upon the district attorneys of Tata Hatchee and the floor counties to make a complete investigation and fully prosecute the guilty peckahwoods. Mississippi deploys such conduct on the part of any of its citizens and certainly cannot condone it. The peckahwoods charged with murder, R&J, of every reason to believe that the court will do their duty in prosecution. Mississippi does not condone such content.
Starting point is 01:15:48 I am so goddamn tired of these no good BDI snaggle to needle dick fucking peckowoods dragging down the reputation of my fine state. Fuck these peckowood motherfuckers. He may not have settled peckow it stuff, but he said the rest. The NAACP also on September 1st issued a press release that stated lynching of school boy laid to white supremacy drive in Mississippi. New York, September 1st, is the article here,
Starting point is 01:16:15 following the lynching of a Mississippi, of a 14 year old Negro boy whose body was found yesterday, the top officer of the NAACP charge that would appear from this lynching that the state of Mississippi has decided to maintain white supremacy by murdering children in a statement issued yesterday Roy Wilkins the executive secretary of the NAACP added The killers of the boy felt free to lynch him because there is in the entire state no restraining influence of decency Mr. Wilkins simultaneously dispatched telegram to the honorable Hugh White, governor of Mississippi, a certain All-decent citizens throughout the nation call upon you to use all the powers of your office to see to it that the lynchers of 14-year-old Emmett Lewis Till are brought to justice. We cannot believe that responsible officials in the state of Mississippi can don't the murdering of children on any provocation.
Starting point is 01:17:03 A reply received from Governor White at NC N. double ACP headquarters here today said in part party charged with murder are in jail and I have every reason to believe the courts will do their duty in prosecution. Mississippi does not condone such conduct. The youthful Lynch victim who was visiting an uncle and money Mississippi while on vacation from his native city of Chicago was kidnapped from his uncle's residence on August 27th by two white men and a woman. Roy Bryant of money and his half-brother,
Starting point is 01:17:30 J. Dub Millum of Glendor, Mrs. Cippy, admitted to kidnapping the boy, but insisted they released him unharmed. The two men arrested for kidnapping, now are being held on a murder charge. The woman in the case, Mrs. Bryant, has disappeared. She didn't. A warrant charging kidnapping has been issued against her. It was never served. The body of the case Mrs. Bryant has disappeared. She didn't a warrant charging kidnapping has been issued against her
Starting point is 01:17:46 It was never served The body of the school boy was found in the Tallahatchee River near Greenwood, Mississippi with the bullet through the head The boys head also bore the marks of a beating with a heavy instrument Cause for the Lenzino said to be Mrs. Bryant's offense because the 14-year-old lad whistled at her In Chicago where the victim's mother lives the local NAACP branch telegraph president Eisenhower an attorney general Herbert Bronwell for a federal investigation of the crime The Jackson news or Jackson daily news describe the murder as a brutal senseless crime But also said the NAACP was trying to arouse hatred and fear
Starting point is 01:18:21 By calling the murderer a lynching Yeah, what the fuck else would you call it? The definition of a lynching is the public killing of an individual who has not received any due process. On September 2nd, 1955, Mamie Till arrived at the central terminal in Chicago to receive her son, Emmett's casket. Man, how her heart must have ached.
Starting point is 01:18:41 When Mamie saw Emmett's remains arrive at the train station, she literally collapsed to the ground and cried out, Lord, take my soul. Woo, wee. Mammy had to fight to have Emmett's body return to Chicago and to view his body. The sheriff returned his body on the condition that the casket never be opened. Fucking asshole. Like he had any business. Telling her fuck all about what she should do with her son's remains.
Starting point is 01:19:05 Carolyn Bryant had an interview with defense lawyers on September 2nd. I wouldn't be uncovered by the FBI until 2004 and she said when I went to take the money, he grabbed my hand, she's talking about Emmett of course, and said, how about a date? And I walked away from him and he said, what's the matter, baby? Can't you take it? He went out the door and said goodbye. And I went out to the car and got the pistol. And when I came back, he whistled at me.
Starting point is 01:19:29 At this time, Roy's family took her to come live with them. She would later claim they were isolating her because they were afraid she would say something. They didn't want her to say, yeah, probably because her fucking story kept changing. Emmett's funeral took place September 3rd at Roberts Temple Church of God on South South State Street in Chicago.
Starting point is 01:19:46 Mammy chose to have an open casket funeral. As we've mentioned to quote, let the world see what has happened because there is no way I could describe this. And I needed somebody to help me tell what it was like. Mammy had image dressed in a suit and put photos of him inside the casket, photos of what he looked like before they did, what they did to him. She later wrote in her autobiography, people would not be able to visualize what had happened
Starting point is 01:20:10 unless they were allowed to see the results of what had happened. They had to see what I had seen. The whole nation had to bear witness to this. Man, good for her. What a fucking strong meat sack. Man, hail, mammy, tail, woo. Can't imagine an estimated 10,000 to 100,000 people came to the funeral home to see Emmett's body
Starting point is 01:20:31 a lot of sources say 10 to 50,000 but a few do say up to 100 uh his burial was postponed until it's six to allow people more time to view the body according to the 1992 book Race by uh 1992 book Race by Lewis Studs turquoise historian who investigated the case at Emmett Till. It is difficult to measure just how profound and affect the public viewing of Till's body created. But without question, it moved black America in a way the Supreme Court ruling on school desegregation could not match contributions to the NAACP's fight fund, the war chest to
Starting point is 01:21:03 help victims of racial attacks reach record levels. And so while people at the time could not have known it, the civil rights movement in America had just been born in Mississippi. This time, all five lawyers from the town of Sumner, Tallahatchee County agreed to defend Bryant and Millham says a lot about the local culture, all the lawyers were like, not we want to get you guys off. Many Miss Zippians were offended and angry
Starting point is 01:21:27 by the coverage of Emmett's murder and the fact that it was described again as the lynching. Historian Hugh Whitaker said that these remarks caused a local power structure to dig in and support fellow Peckerwoods, Brian and Millum, right, cognitive dissonance that it's finest, ignore all the horrific shit in this case that makes you look bad, true horrific shit, and instead mentally frame it as if you are the one who was under attack.
Starting point is 01:21:49 Right? Falsely being framed as a bunch of no good, ignorant racist fucks. Another example of the aggressor playing the victim. Nobody likes being called a racist. Well, almost nobody. But you know, who really doesn't like being called a racist? Kind of like how no one hates being called stupid more than a fucking idiot. I always think a little more. When a part of you knows that the accusation has a lot of truth in it. One summer lawyer would later acknowledge that he only agreed to represent the men
Starting point is 01:22:14 after Mississippi began to be run down. Well, maybe Mississippi needed to be run down here. Sheriff H.G. Strider now fucking weirdly said he was not convinced that the body found in the river was Emmett till Strider said he thinks that a Emmett still live Sheriff statement was printed in the Memphis commercial appeal on September 4th, 1955 Strider said The body we took from the river look more like that of a grown man instead of a young boy There's also more decomposing and should have been after that short stay in the water
Starting point is 01:22:43 Even the boys uncle wasn't sure the body was that an Emmett Till. Strider said the victim had probably been in the water 45 days. It was a large silver ring on the middle finger of his right hand. But most said he couldn't identify the ring and would have to talk to his boys to see if they could identify it. Yeah, but then they did. No, like that's Emmett's ring. However, Emmett's cousin Chicago Ray F. Moody said, you know, families convinced that the body's Emmett's, Manny Bradley, the mom, right, said she is positive. The body is Emmett. The floor County Sheriff George Smith told the paper, the striker's deduction was news to me. He said, I thought the body had been positively identified.
Starting point is 01:23:18 One of my deputies took the ring and carried it to the boys' home where I understand it was identified as Tills Ring. That's all I know about the identification. So what the fuck is Strider thinking here? Right? Not doing a lot there to counteract the negative depiction of Mississippi, this case is causing. He says this after Emmett's uncle identifies his body, after he knows Emmett has been lynched, after Emmett's own mom identifies her baby and holds an open casket funeral for thousands to witness. The violence inflicted upon her child. And this guy is like, I was thinking, what if this here monotrial, they've been no better. How come a no one is asking
Starting point is 01:23:51 that to question? To take it further, one of Amitil never did exist. No, how? What if he's how you say, oh, my gosh, how's it come a no one is asking that question now? Maybe some smarter person's like, hey, share a strider, how about you step away from that reporter and come sit over here and use these crayons to draw some special? How about you come eat this grilled cheese sandwich?
Starting point is 01:24:12 We cut the crust off and everything for you. It's just like you like, let the grownups maybe do the talking. Actually, strider is not being dumb here like he appears. He's horrible, he's not dumb, he's doing this to greatly help the jury reach a non-guilty verdict. He is giving them an easy moral out, which I will speak to more going forward. Emma was buried September 6, 1955. That same day, Milliman Bryant, were indicted for kidnapping and murder. Both men plead non-guilty. September 15,
Starting point is 01:24:41 1955, Jet magazine, Chicago-based African American magazine, still printed today, founded in 1951, published photos of Emmett's body which caused outrage throughout the country. So, September 17th, the black newspaper, the Chicago defender also published pictures of Emmett's body. I couldn't help myself, looked up these pictures online, knowing I would never be able to unsee them. Yeah, they are every bit as horrific as I imagine. And again, can't imagine seeing, you know, what that does to a parent, right? I literally might go fucking crazy. Someone did that to my kid. It would be so tempting to load up my nine millimeters full of hollapoints from my,
Starting point is 01:25:19 if shit goes off the rail stash and fucking kill the men who did that or at least die trying. A simian booker, not to be confused with Emmett's cousin Symi and Wright, was assigned to cover the case for Jett. Booker and photographer David Jackson attended the funeral. Jackson took the pictures of Emmett's body in the coffin. Booker later said in an interview, Jett's circulation just took off when they ran the picture.
Starting point is 01:25:40 They had to reprint. The first time they ever reprinted Jett magazine. And there was a lot of interest in that case and the entire black community was becoming aware of the need to do something about it On September 19th, 1955, Millam and Brian's trial opened in the tiny little Tallahatchee County town of Sumner, Mississippi Had almost 600 residents in 1955. It's about 250 now The courthouse where the trial took place was restored in 2012. Now houses the Emmett Till interpretive center. Black people and white women were banned
Starting point is 01:26:10 from serving on the jury, and all white, all male jury chosen by the end of the day. Not a good look. Guessing all of Emmett's family knew when this happened that the men who murdered Emmett were definitely not gonna pay for what they did. The county sheriff elect helped the defense even further by advising them which jurors were doubtful and which ones were safe. One of the attorneys would later say after the jury was chosen any first
Starting point is 01:26:33 year law student could have won the case, right? So this is the fucking joke. This is a dog and pony show. About a thousand people came to the courthouse, which only had 200 seats. The lead prosecutor in the case was Gerald Chatham. Gerald would die of a heart attack the year after the trial to age 50. And his family thinks that the stress of being given a highly publicized and unwinnable case is what did him in. So, November 20th, 1955, Judge Curtis Swango recesses the court to allow more witnesses to be found. Local law enforcement, local NAACP leaders and reporters worked together to find sharecroppers who claim they saw J. Dubam's truck and heard the beating at the barn.
Starting point is 01:27:09 So 10. 21st, 1985, three surprise witnesses test five for the prosecution. All three witnesses are black. At the time of this trial, this was almost fucking unheard of. It was almost unheard of for black people to accuse white people of anything in court. Let alone a lynchie. The witnesses testified that they saw Milliman others around the barn on Leslie Milliman's property and heard someone being beaten on the morning of the murder.
Starting point is 01:27:31 Moe's rights stood up on the witness stand. You can find a picture of him online doing this in this moment and pointed it, both Milliman Bryant positively identifying them as Emmett's kidnappers. Most testified according to the enterprise journal of McComb, Mississippi, about two o'clock. someone was at the door. They said, preacher, preacher. This is Mr. Bryant. I got up and opened the door.
Starting point is 01:27:52 Mr. Miller was standing at the door with a pistol in his right hand and a flashlight in the other. When Chatham interrupted Moe and asked Uncle Moe, do you see Mr. Miller in the courtroom? Moe stood the fuck up, pointed at Millum and said there he is. Also pointed out Roy Bryant. He made sure that everyone in that court knew exactly who he was pointing at. He said that one of the men he didn't see exactly who said it warned him not to cause any trouble. Or quote, you'll never live to be 65.
Starting point is 01:28:17 Most said his wife Elizabeth got out of bed at one point was ordered to get back in the bed. And I want to hear those springs. Most testified my wife said, listen, she said, we'll pay you whatever you want to charge. We'll pay you if you release him. He saw the man had no interest in their please. And they took Emmett to the car about 50 feet from the porch. The headlights were off. And he heard a man in the darkness ask, is this the boy? Someone he didn't see who said, yes, he said that the voice seemed a little lighter than a man's. Moe's right also testified that he identified the body and the river is Emmett Till and
Starting point is 01:28:49 he watched the undertaker as he pulled the ring from one of Emmett's fingers. He identified the ring in court. The one Emmett's mother had given to him the ring that belonged to Emmett's father. The prosecution also called on the undertaker, a police identification officer and Emmett's mother to try to cast doubt on the defense's main argument that the body in the river was not Emmett. And deputy sheriff John Ed Cawthorn testified that after J. W. Mellon was arrested, he straight up admitted to kidnapping Emmett. They had so much evidence on these motherfuckers.
Starting point is 01:29:18 Mammy Bradley testified September 22nd. She testified that she positively identified the body since a Chicago, as her son, according to the Greenwood Commonwealth, she said, I looked at the face very carefully. I just looked at it very carefully. I was able to find out that it was my son, Emmett Lewis Till. Next witness was Willie Reed. As mentioned earlier, Reed saw a truck with a group of white and black men, parked at the barn on a Leslie Millam's property.
Starting point is 01:29:41 Reed testified that around 8 a.m. August 28, he saw four white men, two black men, and Emmett Till drive up to a barn with Emmett in the back of the truck. property. Retest five that around 8 a.m. August 28th, he saw four white men, two black men, and Emmett Till drive up to a barn with Emmett in the back of the truck. Emmett was carried into that barn. He said he then heard licks and hollering coming from inside the barn. He saw J. Dub Millum leave the barn to drink water from a well. Then re-enter the barn, had a pistol on his hip, and he heard the screams, or after he heard the screams, he went to a nearby store, came home to get ready for Sunday school. On the way back he did not see or hear anything and the truck was gone. He didn't know he saw Emmett at that time or
Starting point is 01:30:11 recognized him when he saw a picture. Read test, fight out to see a picture of Emmett and court. This is the boy I see on the back of the truck. Like Moe's right, Reed stood up and pointed at J. Dub Milliman court when asked to identify him. However, under cross examination for the defense, Reed said he saw four white men, a four black men when the previously said there were four white men and three black men. Also said he didn't see J. Dub Milliman in the truck. So was he lying or was he nervous as fuck when cross examined by white local attorneys accusing him of lying in a time and place were just making unwanted eye contact with these guys outside of the court could have got his ass beat or worse.
Starting point is 01:30:47 Think about fucking nervous. He must have been to accuse these guys of murder when he'd been raised not to even speak to white men unless spoken to Mary Mandy Bradley who lived on the plantation also said she saw four white men go into the barn and come out of the barn. The state and in his case that afternoon after Willie's father test five that he saw Leslie Millam at the plantation that morning. Two potential witnesses who allegedly assisted with the abduction and murder one were unavailable to the prosecution.
Starting point is 01:31:13 Lee Roy, two tight Collins, right? We mentioned him earlier. Fucking still love that nickname. Makes me imagine him wearing the tightest blue jeans anyone has literally ever wore. So tight, you could count his pubes. Two tight demand and Henry Loggins, no relation to Kenny's as far as I'm aware, who was assumed to be missing, were being held under false identities in a jail in Charleston, Mississippi on the orders of any guesses. All star sheriff and definitely not a total piece of shit
Starting point is 01:31:39 Packerwood Clarence Strider. Let me share a bit more about this clown. Why I hate him so much. Sheriff Strider was a feared figure in this area at this time. He was a big imposing man. He was tall, broad shoulder, weighed about 270 pounds and he had money. He was a wealthy plantation owner and his property could be identified from miles away by the letters STRI, D-E-R, painted on subsequent roofs
Starting point is 01:32:00 of his sharecroppers, Shacks. And he seemed to have been known for being particularly racist in a very racist area. In the most racist area of the whole US, he's like one of the most racist guys. Like even other racists are like, God damn, Claire's, there are people too, you know. He was 51 years old at the time of Emmett's murder and he was only sheriff because he admittedly,
Starting point is 01:32:22 this has happened later, bot votes. Right, he himself admitted that much in july nineteen sixty eight on the floor of the state senate also testify for the defense very unusual in a criminal case with emin here that he believed in it was alive and well living in Detroit with the grandfather he constantly tossed out racial slurs towards black journalists covering the trial he was like a character in a movie about how race is part of the south we're back in the 50s that, you know, could easily seem exaggerated again, where you know, people like, come on, no way. And when everyone in this trial was acquitted,
Starting point is 01:32:52 he went out of his way to publicly congratulate them and to show how racist this particular area of Mississippi still was three decades later, 11 years after his death in 1981, a portion of Mississippi's 32, this highway was designated the Henry Clarence Strider Memorial Highway. Man, fuck that guy. Hateful redneck good old boy, fuck if there ever was one. A real what we have here is a failure to communicate. Type for you, cool hand Luke fans. Now let's get into the testimony of Carolyn Bryant. She testified on September 22nd outside the presence of a jury because judge Curtis Swango ruled the testimony was unrelated to the kidnapping and murder. Okay.
Starting point is 01:33:34 In her testimony, Carolyn did not mention him it by name. She was asked if she knew his name, but said she didn't. Said she knew he wasn't from the area because of his accent. She testified. This Negro man came into the store and stomped at the candy counter. I was the area because of his accent. She testified, this Negro man came into the store and stomped at the candy counter. I was in the back of the store. I walked up to the candy counter.
Starting point is 01:33:51 The youth ordered bubble gum. I held up my right hand for some money. He caught my hand, I removed my hand. He said, how about a date, baby? I turned and started to the back of the store. He caught me at the cash register and put both hands around my waist. He said, what's the matter, baby?
Starting point is 01:34:07 Can't you take it? Carolyn said that she freed herself. According to the Clarean Ledger, she said she testified the Negro then addressed her in terms too unprintable, too late, ending the sentence with white women before. And remember, based on the layout of this store, based on what Simeon Wright said,
Starting point is 01:34:24 Emma would have had to have jumped the counter to do what she said he just did. And she never said he jumped the counter. And again, she'll change her story over the coming decades, again and again. She's the worst kind of fucking carrot. Carolyn continued, then another Negro came in and told him to leave and took him by the arm. He left unwillingly. He turned and said, goodbye as he left.
Starting point is 01:34:47 I started out to go to the car from my pistol. He was standing on the front porch of the store. He whistled. Poor Nino at the trial, Carolyn Tets five that she never saw him again after the alleged August 24th incident. But then many years later, again, made a different statement, the following are more quotes from her testimony. Question, when you got your pistol, Mrs. Bryant, where was this boy then?
Starting point is 01:35:10 Or should I say, where was this man? Mm hmm. Yeah, making sure to frame a 14 year old kid as a man. Do you know any 14 year old kids that you consider men? I don't. When I turned around, she said he was getting in the car down the road. Did you rush back in the store then? Yes.
Starting point is 01:35:28 Had you ever seen that man before? No. Have you ever seen him since? No. The defense next produced three witnesses who described the body as bloated in an advanced state of decomposition. Sheriff, Peckerwood Strider, said that based on his experience, the body in the river must have been here at least 10 days if not 15
Starting point is 01:35:46 He insisted the body was unidentifiable In Balmer HD Malone testified that the body had to have been in the water for at least 10 days and was blown to beyond recognition Dr. LB Otton testified that the body had been there for eight days to two weeks maybe So good shady job here by the defense thanks to Sheriff Strider and these other assholes be. So good shady job here by the defense. Thanks to Sheriff's Trident and these other assholes, allowing the jurors to equip the defendants and feel good about doing so. Right. How could they convict men of murder in someone who clearly wasn't dead? September 23rd, several characters witnesses testified about the good reputations of Bryant and Mill and the defense and rest of their case. Prosecutor Gerald Chatham demanded justice
Starting point is 01:36:21 in his closing arguments saying they murdered that boy and to hide the Dastardly cowardly act they tied barbed wire to his neck and to a heavy gin fan and then dumped him into a river for the turtles in the fish The two defendants were dripping with the blood of Emmett Till The defense told the jury in their closing remarks every last angle sacks and one of them No, I'm sorry. Oh Jesus Christ. Yeah The defense told the jury in their closing remarks, every last Anglo-Saxon one of you has the courage to set these men free. They also said the jury's forefathers would turn over in their graves if they convicted Bryant and Millum.
Starting point is 01:37:01 Man, not subtle at all. You what men need to do what is clearly right by your race, set these other white folks free. It is what your what, for Father Pecklewood's demand, I call on you to stand together. By the same day,
Starting point is 01:37:19 the jury deliberated for a whole 67 minutes and acquitted Roy Bryant and J. Dub Millum of kidnapping and murder. And then one motherfucker on the jury told a reporter If we hadn't stopped a drink of pop it wouldn't have taken that long Ah, that is cold blooded think of a fuck about Emmett Probably thought he deserved to be killed for maybe flirting with a white woman The jury foreman said the decision was based on the state's failure to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was Emmett
Starting point is 01:37:48 Found in the rear. Mose Wright willy-read, then smuggled to Chicago after the trial over concerns for their safety. And in Chicago, Reed suffered a nervous breakdown. September 30th, 1955, Milliman Bryant, a released on bond, they still had separate kidnapping charges pending against them in LaFlora County for taking Emmett from his uncle's home. Carolyn still had a kidnapping charge of her too, but one that will be conveniently ignored for the rest of her life. September and October of 1950, 500 of thousands of people across America protested verdict,
Starting point is 01:38:15 but also the white citizens, councils and Mississippi see a big surge of membership. We under attack. They almost can be too of our own for doing nothing more than defending a white woman's honor. Black people in the area now boycott Bryant Millam stores within 15 months. The stores close or are sold at least in all of this. Their pocketbooks are hurt a little bit. Well, for the moment here, black people also refuse to work on the Millam farm. Five black families also leave sheriff's triters plantation. Good for them. Two years after the trial in 1957, there's an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Sheriff Peckerwood Strider. Someone shot at him
Starting point is 01:38:49 as he sat in his car, just missed that fucking clown's head. Unfortunately, by a few inches. October 15, 1955, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, uh, publishes an article revealing that Emmett's father, Louis Till, is executed by the US Army in Italy after raping two Italian women and murdering another woman. Mississippi Center, you know, that that had happened during the war. Mississippi Senator James Eastland leaked that info very intentionally to the press. Army officials then confirmed that private Louis Till of the 177th port company was indeed hanged in Italy July 2nd, 1945 for rape and murder. According to a 1955 article by the Mississippi newspaper, the Sun Herald, Mami Bradley saw the war department inform her that her husband's cause of death was willful misconduct, such you never learn any details, despite sending letters to his commanding officer, Chaplin
Starting point is 01:39:37 and even President Roosevelt. So what a gross thing to do here, to leak this to the public, right, it's clear what they were trying to do here. Right? As if this somehow proves that Emma got, he deserved it. You know, it proves that, you know, being a rapist was in his blood. Senator Eeslin clearly did this to somehow frame Emmett himself as being someone deserving of what he happened at the paint, the Bryant's as the victims. And Senator Eeslin was a huge piece of shit.
Starting point is 01:40:02 Could do an entire episode on him. The Senator version of Sheriff's Triter, brazenly racist, aggressively fought back against desegregation and openly anti-Semitic as well, like, open to the point of saying shit on the Senate floor, just brazenly. Uh, represented Mississippi in the US Senate from 1943 to 1978. It's a surprise he didn't wear a clan hat on the Senate floor. Uh, November 9th, 1955, the floor, County Grand Jury declined to indict Roy Bryant and Jay Dub Millum for kidnapping.
Starting point is 01:40:29 Maybe Bradley said after decision, as quoted by the Greenwood Commonwealth, just about everything has run out on me now. I don't know what to say. I don't see how they could fail to indict those men. I mean, if there was, you know, a true justice system down at this time, they would have definitely convicted them of all of this. I imagine she now thought she'd hit rock bottom with this shit, but that is still coming. Emotionally, after all, Mammy has already been through this shit's about to get worse.
Starting point is 01:40:56 This is so fucking outrageous. January 24th, 1956, look magazine, which ran from 1937 to 1971, had a huge circulation, about 5 million subscribers in 1956. They published a story about the case featuring an interview with Roy Bryant and J. Dub Millum, and in this story, these Peckerwood mother fuckers confessed in detail to kidnapping and murdering Emmett because they couldn't be tried again because of double jeopardy. They did it for a $4,000 paycheck.
Starting point is 01:41:24 The article was titled, The Shocking Story of Approved Killian Mississippi, written by William Bradford Huey, the editor's note stated, in the long history of man's inhumanity to man, racial conflict has produced some of the most horrible examples of brutality. The recent slain of Emmett Tellen Mississippi
Starting point is 01:41:41 is a case in point. The editors of Look are convinced that they are presenting here for the first time. The real story of that killing, the story no jury heard and no newspaper, newspaper reader saw in the interview. Roy said he got home about 4 a.m. Friday, August 27th. He been trucking that shrimp from New Orleans to Texas. He slept at the millems home for a while and Carolyn went to work at the store. That afternoon Roy came to the store and a black man told him what had happened two days earlier.
Starting point is 01:42:07 He said the Chicago boy who was staying with preacher was the one involved Bradford Huey wrote. Once Roy Bryant knew in his environment, in the opinion of most white people around him, for him to have done nothing would have marked him for a coward and a fool. That evening Roy was unable to act because he and Carolyn were stuck in the store with no car Saturday was their busiest day of work. Around 10, 30 PM that night Roy's brother J Dub stop by the store Roy told him he wanted him to come back early Sunday morning when Roy told him why he agreed. J Dub now drove to one of his brother's stores in Mentor City closed up around 12, 30
Starting point is 01:42:42 a.m. Droved to his home in Glendora. His wife Juanita was visiting family at the time. J. W. decided not to go to sleep. Instead, he filled up his gas tank and drove to money. Got to money just before 2 a.m. August 28th. The Bryant's were asleep. He knocked on the back door, woke up Roy and said,
Starting point is 01:42:58 let's go. Roy got dressed, brought a 45 coat with him. Millam also had a 45 caliber weapon. Both men were reportedly sober at the time. J.Dubb had a beer around 9 p.m. Roy had nothing to drink. They drove to preacher's house, about three miles east of the store. Obviously, this is a little different from the timeline events I laid out earlier, based on court testimony, also based on what others said happened.
Starting point is 01:43:18 Seems they knew from the beginning where to go find Emmett instead of not knowing. No mention in this account of them grabbing that wrong kid, asking him, if it was him, tossing for the truck, you know, bashing his face into the dirt, doesn't mean that didn't happen. I guess if there were to admit that here, that would be a separate incidence that they hadn't already been tried for and maybe could be tried again. I think in this speculation, but I think they likely talked with the lawyer before this interview, who told them what they could talk about, and not be worried about being indicted again, and what they could not talk about. Okay, so back to this interview.
Starting point is 01:43:50 Roy Bryant said he knocked on mose, slash preacher's door, when preacher answered, he asked if a boy from Chicago was inside the home, preacher led them to a bedroom where four boys were sleeping in two beds, and it was sharing a bed with his cousin, Simian Wright. Roy asked preacher to turn on the lights, but he weren't working, so Bryant only had the light of his flashlight. Preacher was probably
Starting point is 01:44:08 not surprised by the visit. He later testified that he heard about the trouble and talked to Emmett about it. And it was afraid and wanted to go home the day after the incident with Carolyn. The girl in the group at the store urged Emmett to leave as well. However, preacher's wife, Elizabeth encouraged Emmett to stay and finish his visit. Damn. preacher said, I thought they might say something to him, but I didn't think they'd kill a boy. J. Dub millum said he shined a light on Emmett's face, asked if he did the talking. J. Dub ordered Emmett to get dressed and go with them. The men said that now preacher and Elizabeth trying to talk them out of taking Emmett with them. preacher told them he ain't got good sense. He didn't know what he was doing. Don't take him.
Starting point is 01:44:44 them preacher told them he ain't got good sense. He didn't know what he was doing. Don't take him. Elizabeth offered to pay them for damages. Millum told them to go to sleep and they led Emmett outside telling him to lie down in the back of the truck. Elizabeth Wright went to a white neighbor's home, but the neighbor decided he could do, he could not do anything to help. She and preacher drove to her brother's home. He went to the sheriff's office in Greenwood in the morning. Wheeler Parker called his mother in Chicago, who then called Mammy Bradley. J. Dub Millam and Roy Bryant claim they did not stop at the store to have Carolyn identify Emmett. Now that's true, or they just legally protecting her. They said they crossed the Tallahatch River and headed west. They said they planned to just whip him and scare some
Starting point is 01:45:21 sense into him. As we talked about earlier, J.Dubmillum knew of a place that he found the previous year while out Geesehuntton. He described it as a hundred foot sheer drop. Said he wanted to stand to embed on the bluff, whip him with his gun, then shine the light down on the water to make him think they would throw him in. They drove about 75 miles through several towns, driving down dirt and gravel roads. They eventually had to give up
Starting point is 01:45:41 when they couldn't find this spot. So they headed back to Millum's, sorry, a place in Glendora. It was 9.5 a.m. Brad for Huey now explains why Emmett, who was in the bed of the truck, hadn't jumped out. Part of it was because of Chevy pickup. Millum was driving, had a large wrap around rear window and Brian could see him. Other reason was because he didn't think the men were going to kill him. Millum said in his interview, we were never able to scare him.
Starting point is 01:46:06 They had just filled him so full of that poison that he was hopeless. By they here, I'm 99% certain he means northerners up in Chicago. You know, people not insanely racist or is insanely racist. He is also Emmett Till was a fearless young man at 14 years old. Right? Man, fuck fuck these grown pistol carrying fucks couldn't scare him would you be scared in his position I would like it was strong in a better world fighting man would have showed up to save
Starting point is 01:46:35 him and whip some fucking pecker wood ass fighting man fighting man I am fighting man watch out for my melee sword. This is my defense shield. Today I destroy the Packer Wood, Hobgoblins today I destroy the Packer Wood, Hobgoblins today I destroy the Packer Wood, Hobgonsons, that be fucking great. Fight, fight, fight, chop them with the Pecker Wood, Hammer of Justice. Rid the world of Pecker Wood, Hobgoblins. A little bit off melody there, but you know, I'm fucking worked up. Something like that would've been really cool.
Starting point is 01:47:15 If we could just fucking rearrange the world to be exactly like we wanted to be. But of course, that didn't happen. Back to what these dirty fucks said happened. They said that they drove Emmett to a tool house at the back of Millham's home and there they began beating him with their pistols and other pistol weapon of child, 14 year old child who still isn't showing them he's scared according to them. Emmett reportedly never hollered, continued talking. He said, you bastards, I'm not afraid of you. I'm as good as you are. I've had white
Starting point is 01:47:40 women. My grandmother was white woman. Millham told Hughie at this point the interview well what else could we do he was hopeless I'm no bully literally says that I'm no bully I've never hurt a slur omitted in my life. I like slur omitted in any posse in their place I know how to work them, but I just decided it was a it was time a few people got put on notice as long as I live and can do anything about it Slur omitted are gonna stay in their place Slur omitted ain't gonna vote where I live if they did they control the government They ain't gonna go to school with my kids and when a slur omitted gets close to mentioning sex with a white woman He's tired of living. I'm likely to kill him me and my folks fought for this country and we got some rights
Starting point is 01:48:21 I'm likely to kill him. Me and my folks fought for this country, and we got some rights. It does like the classic fucking cry of just the dumb motherfucker. I got some, I got my rats. Me and my folks fought for this country, so we get to do whatever the fuck we want. Ben, I have so much respect for veterans, but being a veteran doesn't just give you carte blanche.
Starting point is 01:48:40 We have fucking piece of shit. He says, so he says, me and my folks got some rights, I stood there in that shit and I listened to that slur omitted, throw that poison in me, and I just made up my mind. Chicago boy, I said, I'm tired of sending your condom here to still trouble. God damn you, I'm gonna make an example of you
Starting point is 01:48:58 just so everybody can know how me and my folks stand. Yikes, I know right ignorance can be unlearned, but some days I'm like, can we just take everybody who believes things like, can we just kill them? What if we just kill them all? I'm just, you know, just pitballing. Listen to how he has rationalized. Kidnapping and violently assaulting a child, right? Rationalized and murdered child, right?
Starting point is 01:49:20 We've talked about the other a lot here lately. It's fucking important to talk about it because of shit like this. These white men living in a room and simply this time literally did not see black people as being human. Not like them. They see them as savages, animals, dangerous animals. And therefore they're able to rationalize evil acts as being good protective, needed acts. That is the exact same mentality that Nazis employed towards Jewish people right exactly how seemingly otherwise reasonable people can do evil shit
Starting point is 01:49:50 It's not evil to them. They've spun it around in their mind so much that they're the victim They're protecting themselves from aggressors so much trying to destroy my traditional way of life It's all fucking twisted around upside down How often in history does the true aggressor play the victim? Right over and over. We watch this cycle repeat and every fucking time it starts anew, far too many people choose, not to see it this time.
Starting point is 01:50:13 The day the story was printed, I would love to tell you that their worthless shits, these worthless shits were fucking executed. I wish I could say the vigilante justice lends to these motherfuckers, poetic justice, but you know, that's not how these stories usually end. The often in that way in the movies though because we crave many of us crave that kind of justice. If we can't get in the real world, we can at least cathartically get it in a story. In the parallel universe of the suck first I'll have you know instead of fighting man, the
Starting point is 01:50:39 ghosts of the toybox killer David Parker Ray, Bob Burdella, the butcher Kansas city, the scorecard killer Randy Kraft, and some of the other worst sexual sadists and murders we've ever covered, they don't torment anyone in the sense, but they do go after shit bags like Roy Bryant and J. Dub Millen. They manifest themselves in some kind of demonic physical form and just sexually tortured, they're ever loving shit out of these guys, drawing out their deaths as long as possible,
Starting point is 01:51:02 and then I don't know, eating their souls, right? Fucking Nimrod takes care of that last part. Feels good to imagine that. Moving away from that murder fantasy and sadly reconnecting with reality, Emmett Till is now badly beaten, but his spirit is not broken. And now because his spirit is still strong
Starting point is 01:51:20 and his strong black man scares the shit out of J. W. Millum because he himself is so small. He decides Emmett has to die and he's already thinking about hiding Emmett's body. He tries to think of where he can get a weight and he remembers a cotton gin that have recently gotten new equipment. He saw two men removing an old fan. Now he wants it. The men now order the still conscious Emmett to get back in the truck.
Starting point is 01:51:40 He does. They drive him to the progressive ginning company. Sun is starting to rise and Millam recalled feeling worried that someone would see them and accuse them of stealing the fan. A lot of these not worried about like killing this kid, but he's worried about, you know, being accused of stealing that fan. The two men stood outside while Emmett himself, they made him go in and grab the fan, you know, essentially, he's digging his own grave and Emmett loads the fan into the truck.
Starting point is 01:52:02 And again, remember that these assholes are voluntarily telling all this to a journalist, they know what's going to write what they're saying, and publish, right? An article about this in a magazine read by millions. This is beyond brazen. They clearly want black people to read this and be scared, and white people to read that and think, oh, go for them, go for those fearless, that a boy.
Starting point is 01:52:20 This is happening again in America in 1955. I love Lucy, is the number one show in the country, rock around the clock by bill hailey and his comments plane on the radio disney's lady in the tram is playing in theaters and emmettel is being tortured and murdered by these clowns bragged about it
Starting point is 01:52:35 in the nineteen uh... you know uh... fifty's equivalent of people magazine with the fan loaded up emmett's killer's drive him back to clendora and cross the bridge over the tally hatched river turn right drive down dirt road along the river. They find a quote lonely spot with a steep river bank. Emmett is told to pick up the fan, carry to the river bank, then order to remove his clothing by now. It's just before seven a.m. And J. Dubb said he asked him, you still as good as I am. And he said that Emmett responded. Yeah. J. Dubb said he said he then asked you still had white women and Emmett said yeah
Starting point is 01:53:10 That was it that was enough Following his final word J. Wab shot him in the head Emmett's head was turned at the bullet hit him in his right ear fell to the ground dead Milliman Bryan now tied the gin fan to his neck barbed wire rolled his body into the river Milliman Bryant now tied the gin fan to his neck, barbed wire, rolled his body into the river. Right? Then they drove back to Milliman home and burned evidence and I don't know, probably had some fucking beers and slapped themselves in the back.
Starting point is 01:53:32 Not only did they get away with that, they got paid $4,000 to tell that tale. And then living free, they just carried on with their lives. 1975, Carolyn will divorce Roy Bryant, citing habitual drunkenness and habitual cruel and inhuman treatment. Hmm, that tracks. I'd love to say I feel sorry for her, but I don't. The Bryan has moved away from Mississippi in the late 50s. They live in Louisiana and Texas, returned to Mississippi in 1973 to run another grocery
Starting point is 01:53:56 store and Roy Bryan continued working as a welder. Carolyn got married twice more to Griffin Chandler than David Donum. According to the New York Times, Carolyn live for many years in Greenville, Mississippi, and did not work outside her home in the late 80s. She studied part time at Mississippi Delta Community College, but did not earn a degree. Later in her long life, she lived in Raleigh, North Carolina. Roy remarried in 1980, moved back to Mississippi. He was partially blind from welding, was convicted of food stamp fraud violations
Starting point is 01:54:25 in both 1974 and 1988. J. Dub millum died of bladder cancer December 31, 1980, 1985 Roy Bryant secretly recorded talking about this murder. And a tape he said they were drinking that night and that after quote, we done whoop that son of a bitch. He backed out on killing the mother fucker and decided to take him to the hospital But Emmett could not have survived his injuries So they said they decided to put his ass in the tally hatchet river Brian to not name who else was involved at this moment indicated he never would say I'm the only one living that knows and that's all that will ever be known Roy Bryant died of cancer September 1st 1994
Starting point is 01:55:04 Roy Bryant died of cancer September 1, 1994. Mamie Till Moby died January 7, 2003. She was 81, suffered cardiac arrest on the day of her death. Died at the hospital. She had been on dialysis three times a week for some time before death. Mamie spent the rest of her life trying to keep Emmett's memory alive in the pursuit of justice while also becoming a civil rights advocate.
Starting point is 01:55:21 Reverend Jesse Jackson said at a news conference inside Mamie's home after she died, what must be put into perspective is that we often say the modern civil rights movement began with Rosa Parks and Montgomery. That's really not accurate. Mrs. Mowley did a profound strategic thing with his body water soaked into faced. Most people would have kept the casket covered. She let the body be exposed more than a hundred thousand people saw his body lying in that casket here in She let the body be exposed. More than 100,000 people saw his body lying in that casket here in Chicago. That must have been at that time the largest single civil rights demonstration in American history.
Starting point is 01:55:53 Mamie spoke with the New York Times before she died said that after Emma was killed. At first, I just wanted to go into a hole and hide my face from the world. She soon started to talk about what happened. Saying it gave me a chance to get out, what is clogged up inside. Because if I don't, because if I don't talk, it stays in and worries me. If I can't let it go even though I cry sometimes, I have some release. May 10th, 2004, the Justice Department announced that it was opening a criminal investigation into Emmett Till's case in light of new evidence uncovered during the filming of two documentaries, which suggested that other people besides Milliman Bryant may have been involved in Emmett's abduction and murder, right? Roy and J. Dubb, not entirely truthful probably in their post-trial
Starting point is 01:56:34 $4,000 confession, you know, probably hiding the identities of others again for legal reasons. Information gathered by filmmakers suggested up to 10 additional people took part in or observed the murder. I think I said it doesn't earlier so,, you know, 10, uh, yeah, how fucking sick, right? This made it a whole community affair. Beat into 14 year old half to death and put in a bulletin said for a little, uh, extra late night entertainment. Filmmaker Keith Bochamp, uh, who spent nine years making a documentary titled The Untold Story of Emmett Till said he believed five people were still alive who involved in or had knowledge of the murder. Stanley Nelson produced a 2003 documentary titled
Starting point is 01:57:09 The Murder of Emmett Till, which was broadcast on PBS. Nelson said there were several people who had evidence, but didn't testify. According to a 2006 FBI report, a man named Kimbrill was identified as a company. Millum and Bryant, when they appeared with Emmett at the Bryant's home slash store. Elmer Kimbrill may have worked at the Glendora cotton gin in 1955. Five months after the murder of Emmett in December of 1955, this fucker shot and killed a black man at a service station in Glendora because he allegedly filled the gas tank. When Kimbrill only asked for three dollars worth of gas, that's who this guy is. Kimbrill was also found at J.
Starting point is 01:57:45 Dub Millum's home after the murder. He was tried for that gas station murder, but of course, you know, Jerry acquitted him. He died in 1975, right? So killing Emmett was not an aberration for this place in time, killing black kids and men over nothing over fucking some gas discrepancy and getting away with it. That was just a way of life down Down and back with Mississippi in the 50s. March 29th, 2007, Emmett Till's autopsy report was released. The autopsy found that Emmett died of a gunshot wound at the head, but also had broken wrist bones, skull and leg fractures.
Starting point is 01:58:15 When Emmett's body was pulled out of the river, the report stated the crown of his head was just crushed out and a piece of his skull just fell out. Fuck. Report also established a timeline of the violence and inflicted upon Emmet and more based on witness statements and the death-bed confession of Roy and J. Duff's brother Leslie Millum.
Starting point is 01:58:32 October 7th, 2008, President Bush shines into law, the Emmet Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which gave the Justice Department $10 million a year to examine civil rights murders from before 1970 and 3.5 million to help local law enforcement with investigations. So That's good. 2017, the Department of Justice opened the investigation after Carolyn Bryant, Donham, who was still alive, was quoted in a book saying she lied. Right, here we go. When she tested by the epidemic, grabbed her and made sexual advances towards her.
Starting point is 01:59:00 62 years later, 62 years too late, she tells the truth. For a moment, she'll retract it. There are pictures of her smiling her fucking ass off when Roy and J. W. are acquitted of Emmett's murder in court. All right, she knew, she knew then, she got him killed. Didn't care then, but now that she's near death, you know, now that she's 83, maybe she has a moment of feeling a weakness and conscience, wants to clear it, but too little way too late.
Starting point is 01:59:24 Dr. Timothy B. Tyson published the book, The Blood of Emmett Till in January of 2017, Tyson is a senior research scholar at Duke University. And he interviewed Carolyn in 2008, finished writing a book about it all eight years later. This was Carolyn's first known interview since police had spoken with her way back when it happened. Carolyn actually sought out speaking Dr. Tyson
Starting point is 01:59:43 because she liked his book, Blood Done Signed My Name, an account of a murder of a young black man by whites in North Carolina in 1970. She told him she wanted to explain her side of the story and Tyler interviewed her at her home in Raleigh. And Tyson wrote in his book about her testimony that Till had grabbed her around the waist and uttered obscenities she now told me quote that part's not true. Fuck. Tyson wrote his book that it's very possible that the only thing and it may have done was break the social rule of never touching a white person's hand when handing money to a cashier.
Starting point is 02:00:16 That and fucking whistle. And that was enough to have those guys do what they did. Carol was quoted as saying nothing that boy did ever could justify what happened to him. In March of 2018, the Justice Department told Congress and a report that the investigation into Emmett's murder had been reopened after receiving new information without specifying what that info was. July 12, 2018, a federal official told the Associated Press that the 2017 book led the government to renew the investigation into Emmett's murder. The reopening of the case was kept quiet until contents of a federal report came to light that same day.
Starting point is 02:00:50 7th, 2021. The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Mississippi announces that it had closed the investigation into a witness as alleged recantation of her account of events leading up to Emmett's murder. This announcement did not use Tyson or Carolyn's names, but obviously they're talking about them. The department conducted the investigation as part of its cold case initiative
Starting point is 02:01:12 and pursuant to the passage of the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act. The department and FBI examined whether Carolyn had recanted and if so, whether she had information that would allow for the prosecution of any living person. According to the announcement from the US attorney's office, Northern District of Mississippi, a witness indicated that contrary to longstanding belief about the events in and near the store, no one challenged till to speak to or flirt with the white woman who was at the store,
Starting point is 02:01:37 nor did till show a photo of a white girl to the men standing outside the store. All right, the more evidence comes out, the more the story changes and the worse it looks. According to this investigation, Emmett bought some items in the store and left. The witness said that the woman Carolyn left the store unhurried and undisturbed. When Emmett whistled at her, Emmett's companions hurried to get away from the store because Emmett violated the code in the South, regarding the whistle. When the FBI questioned Carolyn about what she told Dr. Tyson regarding Emmett never grabbing her, she now denied telling him that, right? So fucking gross.
Starting point is 02:02:09 She'll admit the truth to an author, but then at the FBI comes poking around. She might get in some legal trouble all these years later. She still won't fucking come clean. A release by the US attorney's office stated, although lying to the FBI as a federal offence, there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she lied to the FBI when denied having recanted to the professor. There is insufficient evidence to prove that she ever told the professor that any part of her testimony was untrue, right?
Starting point is 02:02:34 It's a he said she said now. Her pecker would word versus the professor's word, but still he said she said at a ceremony at the White House on March 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Emmett Till anti-lynching act into law. Biden said racial hate isn't an old problem. It's a persistent problem. Hate never goes away. It only hides under the rocks. It gets a little bit of oxygen. It comes roaring back out screaming, what screaming, what stops it, all of us. Law was passed after 12 decades of failed attempts to pass anti-lynching legislation. Not sure exactly why I was so hard for that legislation to pass.
Starting point is 02:03:11 I'm going to hope it was because of other garbage attached to previous acts and not because of a bunch of US politicians were still hesitant to crack down on lynching because I knew that wouldn't play well with their voting base. Purpose traders can now receive up to 30 years in prison when it can be conspiracy city committee to hate crime, results in death or seriously or serious bodily injury. July 14th, 2022, Dr. Timothy Tyson provides a copy of Carolyn Bryan's unpublished memoir to the AP. The 99 page memoir is titled more than a Wolf whistle,
Starting point is 02:03:40 the memoir of Carolyn Bryan Donham, written with the help of her daughter-in-law. In it, Carolyn wrote the following about Emmets, said, he came in our store and put his hands on me with no provocation. Do I think he should have been killed for doing that? Absolutely unequivocally no. So just for a fucking second, she did the right thing, admitted she made that bullshit up.
Starting point is 02:03:59 But now backtracks, the FBI, and then backtracks in print, die standing by the lie, they got that kid killed. The memoir contained more contradictions from her previous statements about what had happened on the night of Emmett's murder. She claimed that J. Dub, Melaman Roy Bryant, brought Emmett to the store so she could identify him. Said she tried to help Emmett by saying he was not the boy who allegedly harassed her in the store.
Starting point is 02:04:20 She wrote J. Dub and a friend of his walked in with Emmett between them. Each was holding one of his arms, but it was clear they did not seem to have harmed him, that they had done nothing to harm him. If he was bruised, I couldn't tell. They stood between the kitchen of the bathroom with the young man standing in the center, Roy and I were on the other side of the kitchen. Roy turned to me and growled. Is that him?
Starting point is 02:04:37 Before I even saw his face, I softly answered, she's a great person. I softly said, no, it's not him. I Couldn't even look at the young man. She said I knew that he was there, but I couldn't look at him I didn't want him hurt so I told Roy that he had the wrong person. I Said again with a stronger voice. It's not him. You had the wrong person She said Roy raises voice and almost screamed at me damn it look at him. You haven't even looked at him I Looks treated him it and even strong. I said no, it's not him. You hit the wrong person. It's not him All I could think was taking him home. Please take him home. I was terrified for his safety
Starting point is 02:05:17 His uncle is I later found out begged them to just be damn it up there at the house not to take him away As she's as I'm thinking about her saying this stuff, I'm also picturing the picture of her online when her husband and brother-in-law get off on this case and she is so fucking happy. Just pure joy on her face. She's full of shit here. To my utter disbelief, the young man flashed me a strange smile
Starting point is 02:05:40 and said, yes, it was me or something to that effect. Kellen wrote that she, quote, always felt like a victim as well as Emmett and Paid dearly with an altered life. She's the it's the fucking same you guys What happened to Emmett happened to her for all intent purpose, right? It seems ease Jesus At the end of the manuscript Kellen wrote I've always prayed that God would bless his family
Starting point is 02:06:06 I'm truly sorry for the pain his family was caused Does it feel pretty gross to you that she's bringing God's name into this mess feels a little gross to me AP reported further contradictions in her memoir Kellen claim that she yelled for help Fuck no, she didn't no one ever reported her hearing her screen back in 1955 or remember her sister-in-law, Juanita Peckerwood was in the same building as her. Tiny building. She never mentioned back then that she and Roy talked about the abduction but wrote it in her manuscript because you know that they did discuss it. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 02:06:35 October 21st, 2022. Statue of Emmett Till is unveiled at Rails Spike Park in Greenwood, Mississippi. The site's about 10 miles from the remains of the old Brian grocery store in money The Washington Post reported in 2015 Brian's grocery is derelict and forgotten much like the town of money Although Tills lynching is considered a pivotal spark of the civil rights movement There's little here to recall those events other than a modest historic marker erected outside Brian's four years ago Mississippi Delta regions economy itself ring the towns in the area, we're dominated by agriculture, which is a fading industry. Many don't think having a museum and money would change that. Washington Post also reported that the funeral home where Emmett was
Starting point is 02:07:13 brought to is also in a state of decay. The shed at the Sherdon plantation in Droom, Mississippi, where Emmett was beaten, still standing. One of the few places that have been restored is the courthouse, in Sumner where the trial took places I mentioned There are 18 sites in Glendora that were part of the case signs marking the sites have been vandalized and shot in recent years That's cool Still plenty of good old boy peg of woods in the area Museum is at least located in the former gin building where the fan used to weigh down
Starting point is 02:07:41 Emmett's body was taken December 21st, 2022, Congress passed humanely, posthumously. There we go. That's a chicken one for me. Awarded Emmett Till and Mamie Till, Moby, the Congressional gold medal, which is displayed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. near his casket, April 25th, 2023. Very recent, Carolyn Brim, Donum dies in hospice, then West Lake, 20, 23, very recent, Carolyn Bryan, Donum dies in hospice in West Lake, Louisiana, 88 years old. Rumor has it, she started to death.
Starting point is 02:08:09 Her hospice nurse was black and every time she asked for something to eat, her nurse would say, I'll be sure to go grab you some pudding just as soon as you tell the truth about Emmett. You know good, wrinkled up, peckled wood, cunt. I started that rumor. Reverend Wheeler Parker, 84 years old, is now the last living witness to Emmett's
Starting point is 02:08:25 abduction. He said in statement after Carolyn's death, as a person of faith for more than 60 years, I recognize that any loss of life is tragic. And I don't have any ill will or animosity toward her. Even though no one now will be held to account of the deaths of my cousin and my best friend, it is up to all of us to be accountable to the challenges we still face and overcoming racial injustice. So he's a better guy than I am.
Starting point is 02:08:47 Good for him for not wishing torment on her soul. Dr. Timothy Tyson also issued a statement saying, it has comforted America to see this as merely a story of monsters, her among them. What this narrative keeps us from seeing is the monstrous social order that cared nothing for the life of Emmett Till, nor thousands more like him. Neither the federal government nor the government of Mississippi did anything to prevent or punish this murder. Condemning what Donham did is easier than confronting what America was and is.
Starting point is 02:09:17 And then July 25, 2023, just two days ago, is I record this, the White House authorizes federal funding for a monument. The Emmett Till and Mamie Till My National Monument includes three protected sites in Illinois where Emma was born 82 years ago. The day just passed Tuesday and in Mississippi where he was tortured and killed. Right. Glad this was done. In the past few years, more than 40 states have introduced her past laws or taken other measures to restrict how issues of race and racism are taught in schools because too many people are scared of the truth.
Starting point is 02:09:46 Why is teaching the truth so hard to accept for some people? Never here. Not gonna change the cult to the curious to the cult of a bunch of fucking cowards, cult of a bunch of bullshit due to shifting cultural trends. You can get your fake news somewhere else if you just can't handle truth. And that'll take us out of today's timeline. Good job, soldier. You made it back. Barely. Man, what a powerful story, right? I think most of us think about Rosa Parks refusing
Starting point is 02:10:21 to give a receipt to a white pastor on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus. We think about the civil rights movement America starting in many ways. That is correct, but really the lynching of Emmett Till, right? The outrage around his death is what started Rosa refused to give up her seat a hundred days after Emmett's murder and said Emmett was on her mind when she made that decision. Thankfully, despite the hateful and disgusting way that rural white Mississippi responded to Emmett's death, many others in the nation did not respond that decision. Thankfully, despite the hateful and disgusting way that rural white Mississippi responded to Emmett's death, many others in the nation did not respond that way. Many others were brave enough to finally take a real stand against ignorance and mindless hate.
Starting point is 02:10:52 Take a stand against the sheriff's strieters of the world against the Carolyn Bryan's and Roy Bryan's and Jay Dub Millams. Right. This story is a good reminder of why it is important to speak up against hate. Currently, when you do do so, yeah, there's a contingent, vocal minority, I hope, of small amount of people who will say, you know that you're woke. That's the lazy dismissive term now, right? They'll bitch about you getting too political. And you know what, fuck those people.
Starting point is 02:11:17 If we all follow their cowardly examples, we would still be living in a world that looked like rural Mississippi in 1955 right now, or worse. Hail Nimrod, team meat sack forever. And also if you're listening be living in a world that look like rural Mississippi in 1955 right now or worse. Hail Nimrod, team meat sack forever. And also if you're listening to new Madrid Mississippi or money Mississippi, I hope you start walking out of town right now.
Starting point is 02:11:33 Go on now, get! Keep walking. Get a better life for yourself. Now after I take more jangles over to Piss on Roy Bryant and Jayde de Bum, it will be time for today's top five takeaways. Time suck, top five takeaways. Number one, Emmett Lewis Till was just 14 years old. He was the victim of a lynching and Mississippi.
Starting point is 02:11:56 Emmett grew up in Chicago, although the city was segregated. Emmett didn't understand the kind of segregation that still existed in the deep south. And the many unspoken rules that black people were supposed to follow were interact with white people. One evening and it was alone with the white woman grocery store owner Carolyn Bryant for about a minute.
Starting point is 02:12:11 What exactly happened during that minute will now never be known for certain, but Carolyn's claims claims that sure seemed to be a bunch of peckerwood bullshit led to Emmett's murder. Number two on September 23rd, 1955 and and all Peckerwood, all male jury, quitted Roy Bryant and J. Dubmelum of murder and kidnapping. And then just a few months later, in January of 1956, look magazine published an interview with two men where they confessed for a $4,000 payday in great detail
Starting point is 02:12:38 how they murdered Emmett and disposed his body. Because of double jeopardy laws, they could not be prosecuted after making that confession. Number three, the murder of Emmett Till left a huge impact on the entire country and is considered by many to be the true beginning of the modern civil rights movement. And his mother, Mamie Till, Mobley went on to become an important figure of the civil rights movement, thousands of people, maybe millions saw Emmett's badly beaten body between his funeral and a magazine publishing a picture taken in his funeral. Man, he wanted everyone to know exactly what happened to her son. Number four, Carolyn Bryant, Donum, gave several contradicting statements throughout her life
Starting point is 02:13:11 about what really happened the night Emmett was murdered. Moe's preacher write testify that he heard a woman's voice outside his home when he watched Emmett be taken away by Milliman Bryant, but Carolyn maintained she was never there. I bet she was. What if she was there for the whole thing Trial she testified that she never saw Emmett again after the alleged incident in her store But many years later in a memoir that was released at the press in 2022 She wrote the Bryant and Melon brought Emmett to the store so she could identify him. You know where she begged Did he be okay?
Starting point is 02:13:38 She also claimed that she lied in an effort to save him but he admitted his, right? Carolyn admitted to author Timothy Tyson that she lied at trial, but was never prosecuted for perjury and was never arrested for kidnapping. Despite the fact that a warrant was issued for her arrest in 1955, warrant law enforcement, never made a real attempt to serve her. You know, because she had kids, she had kids, take care. Number five, new info, who was the girl in Emmett's photo, right? That he was supposed to be looking outside the store. The photo of him and a white girl, some version of the story, say he showed to some cousins,
Starting point is 02:14:09 you know, which preceded him being dared to flirt with Carolyn Bryant. Well, in a 1987 docu series on the American Civil Rights Movement called Eyes on the Prize, Emmett's cousin Curtis Jones said Emmett kept a picture of some white kids he graduated elementary school with, right? A school photo right a school photo a school photo his friends. Documenter producer Henry Hampton told NPR that Emmett showed the picture to his friends pointed out the white girl in the picture and said she was his girlfriend. Emmett attended a segregated school so historians wondered how he could have a class photo with
Starting point is 02:14:37 white kids. Well when Joan Brody heard this interview she realized that had to be mean. She talked to the Clary on ledger in 2018, when she was 76, Joan and her twin brother were attending Lewis Champlain elementary school one summer, because they needed extra credits to attend South Shore high school. Lewis Champlain was normally in all black school, but Chicago did not keep as many schools open in the summers. So some white kids went there for class. Joan was the only white girl in Emmett's class and the two sat next to each other.
Starting point is 02:15:05 She remembered laughing when Emmett made jokes on occasions, right, Emmett, the kid who loved to joke around. His wolf whistle was probably just that joking around like teenage boys do, right? I'm sure that I whistled or did the equivalent around attractive older women when I was at age. Hell, when I was at age grade, I literally would walk with a few buddies
Starting point is 02:15:23 under the bleachers at high school football games and try and look up the skirts of our classmates moms in another world I would have been fucking killed for doing that. The eighth graders graduated in August. She attended a graduation ceremony and took a picture that could have had him in it. She said she said never saw Emmett again after that. Well, of course not. Joan disagreed with Carolyn Bryan's claims about Emmett saying he wasn't a smart allocate kid. He wasn't a person to smart off to a white woman or any woman. She also said that Emmett was a gentleman, didn't talk about sex, at least, uh, not around
Starting point is 02:15:53 her, not around anyone she knew. She emphasized that the story should be about Emmett, not her saying I want people to know that he did go to an integrated school. And then he was a nice kid. He was not the kid. He was made out to be time suck. Five. Take away. The lynching of Emmett Till has been sucked. Again, I hope that story hit hard for you like
Starting point is 02:16:17 it did for me. If it annoyed you that I even told that story, man, I fucking pity you. Thanks again to the space lizards for putting that one on my plate. And thank you to the whole Bad Magic Productions team for all the help and making TimeSuck. Thanks to Olivia Lee for doing a much killer research and thanks to Logan Keith, the artwork we're running the cameras in recording today. Did you know that you can watch this on YouTube? I consistently forget to mention that. Next week on TimeSuck, we get fucking weird.
Starting point is 02:16:43 Do you have sexual fantasies? How about you do? I hope you do. If not, I pray Lucifina gives some to you. They're fun. They can be. 97% of surveyed Americans in the largest study to date report having sexual fantasies. The most common sexual fantasy among American adults involved is bringing a third or fourth person into the mix. But we usually don't talk about sexual fantasies like that. For many of the killers we've covered, there are sexual fantasies, became their entire worlds, and led to the destruction of countless lives. And that's what happened to Dennis Nielsen. That being said, we've never covered a weirdo quite like Dennis. From 1978 to 1983, Dennis killed at least 12 young men and boys, well, probably more like at least 15, maybe up to 16, did unspeakable things with their corpses.
Starting point is 02:17:28 Dennis who had once been a shy young boy from a rough and tumble Scotland fishing town looked to all the world like an ordinary bachelor. But inside, holy shit, was this guy a fucking weirdo. His weirdness started when he realized fairly early on that he had an attraction to men. That's not the weird part, but then it grows to this fantasy where he's been molested when he sleeps or passes out like what he wants to be. He starts to imagine himself as two partners for a while. One is a dirty old pervert, the other a young limp, a young limp body that the pervert takes advantage of. He'll stare at himself in the mirror and jerk off and imagine himself to be both these people. But you know, then we get sold out, you know, a lot of people don't want to just lie still
Starting point is 02:18:08 and take part in this fantasy with him. So maybe he sets out to discover another way to achieve this fantasy, a way that his bloody disgusting requires creative storage options and comes to a surprising end. The very strange story of Dennis Nielsen, the the muswell hill murderer, the man who's been called the UK's Jeffrey Dahmer next week on time suck right now let's head over to this week's time sucker updates updates get your time sucker updates first of fun loving sucker rory fits Patrick would like to play a game he writes just wanted to share an awesome random mom with anyone who didn't see the Facebook
Starting point is 02:18:47 posts and try to get a fun thing started. Tuesday afternoon, I was leaving work when I noticed a strange bag on my windshield. Inside was a note saying how this was the first random sucker and counter this individual had had and how awesome it was. Also inside was a bunch of awesome goodies and two pens that I now use every day. The thing I'm wondering is, should random goodie bags suck or tag? Be a thing. Cult, cult, cult.
Starting point is 02:19:10 I love it, Rory. I hope this happens more. What a nice thing for someone to do to take the time to do that, right? Leave you a goodie bag, which reminds me to thank Andy Rue. Andy, we got your goodie box at the suck dungeon. Lindsay very impressed with the wooden sword you made. Holy shit. You have a lot of strange talents. If a goody bag is too much for what Rory is saying, I've
Starting point is 02:19:30 been a simple note of a hailed Nimrod and have a great day. Place under somebody's windshield would put a big ol' smile on someone's face. Little things like that are so cool. Glad you got to experience that Rory and Kudos to whoever took the time to do that. Next up, Ron Bextram might not understand that game. I've been playing or a game I've been playing. Maybe he's getting, maybe not. When he writes, Jesus fucking Christ, Dan. Antonio Benderer is his Spanish. How is it possible that you've incorporated his name
Starting point is 02:20:00 and to your, and to your horrifically insensitive parody of Italians this many times and not been called out on that shit You just did it again on the witchcraft suck and Tonya was born in Spain lives in Spain has a Spanish surname has a Spanish first name Which is admittedly also an Italian first name and has generally played Spanish or Latino characters Please for the love Nimrod never stop using over the top accents. Hanging you bang you uf to uf to have a little goddamn respect for El Marriacci And maybe use someone who's actually Italian next time you go full Mario, your loyal fan run. Yeah, thanks for that.
Starting point is 02:20:31 I just so you know, I think you're kidding, but just so you know, just to be sure, I am aware that Antonio Benderes is finished. That's why I do it. I just love being that absurd, right? Obviously the Italian parody, or accent parody is over the top, but then to make it even more over the top,
Starting point is 02:20:44 it just really cracks me up to throw shit in like Antonio Benderes. Yeah, who yeah, again, it's not Italian. Chicken Palm Masada, Mediara, Lava Gina, Chabela, Antonio Benderes. And now let's end on one regarding something way more serious. Law enforcement sack and a guy with a real heavy heart, officer Nathan Gilhausen writes, Horseman sack and a guy with a real heavy heart officer Nathan Gilhausen writes Dan on July 3rd, 2023 sergeant Heather Glenn was shot and killed in the line of duty She was attempting to apprehend an individual for domestic battery
Starting point is 02:21:18 She was a shift partner and my supervisor for the last two years. She was a great cop and a great person She was a hard person to get to know and though we did not always see eye to eye on most things we could could always talk about time. So she caught me listening to it one night while working on a report. And after that, we would ask each other if we listened to the latest one. She also told me that she enjoyed listening to scared of death as well. And we connected on that a few times. Both she and you change my look on people in the world. Thank you, Dan. I was wondering if you could give Sarge and Heather Glenn a shout out and let her know that
Starting point is 02:21:41 she can rest easy. Her brothers and sisters in blue will hold the line from here. Thank you Dan Nathan. Man holy shit Nathan. Hey I can't imagine what you're feeling. Yeah of course I can give Sergeant Heather Glenn a 20 year veteran of Indiana's tell city police department a huge shout out Nimrod and loose Fiendinbo jangles. They have to all be taken care of her somewhere while you and other officers you work with
Starting point is 02:22:03 hold that blue line. Thank you for doing what you do Nathan Thank you for letting me recognize Heather. What a badass. I know there's nothing to bring her back But I'm glad at the very least other officers were able to return fire and kill the subject who did kill her in cold blood Kill the officer responding to a domestic violence call Someone trying to help someone else no longer be abused someone trying to help someone else no longer be abused. A lot of people forget how you all put your lives on the line every single fucking day you go to work to make a society safer for the rest of us. Too many focus on the minority of people who abuse authority, right?
Starting point is 02:22:34 The sheriff strider fuck heads of the world and not the majority who use their job for good, right? Good that makes society possible on a basic level, right? The majority like Sergeant Heather Glenn whose story is never get spun around the 24 hour news cycle. Heather won a 62 officers killed in the US wall on duty just in 2023. As of July 18th, when I looked up that stat, resting peace, Heather. I hope wherever you are, you can laugh and relax. And I do believe you're still out there somewhere. Thanks, time suckers. I need a net. We all did. out there somewhere.
Starting point is 02:23:09 Thanks for listening to another Bad Magic Productions podcast, Care to Death and Times Suck each week, Secret Suck as well for Space Lures. Please don't be in no good peckerwood this week, meets ex. And don't be done enough to repolitics, and to an accurate portrayal of history. Let the fuck be better than that and keep on sucking. I feel like I should try and say some nice stuff about Numerid Missouri. It looks like they have a really nice dollar general based on reviews. They have a well-rated fertilizer supplier.
Starting point is 02:23:53 Yeah, go to Riverband AG for all your crop poop needs. And they have another pizza place. I didn't even mention pro pizza. Emmett shorter loves it. He left them a five star review on Google. They said extremely good pizza, maybe the best. Owner has very good values. Also, if you need your fortune told, Numerid, go to Lixie Baby, spiritual world at 150 happy language appears to also be a residence. Love and Rose left a five star review on Google about this place.
Starting point is 02:24:25 She wrote, I own this, and I try to fix Google again. We are accepting online orders. I'm not sure how well online orders are doing since they don't have a website. It's tough times. It's tough times to numerid. Stap times. Stap times number 3.

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