He said, "There's a shoe here. The house was a dark as a thousand midnights. A Firelight Media production for American Experience "How old are you, preacher?" Warren Hampton, Mississippi Resident:I was playin' beside the road and I saw Mr. Milam in the truck coming by and it had a, had a cover over the door, we called a tarpaulin, and I heard somebody hollerin' on the truck. In 1955, Carolyn Bryant Donham (then just Carolyn Bryant), a 21-year-old white woman, accused Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy, of making an unwelcome advance at her. Moses Wright's testimony in the trial of his great-nephew'skillers stands as one of the bravest moments in American history. Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space (espaol). Stock footage of commentator on the trial:This was the home of Moses Wright. Mr. Rayner asked me, he said "Do you want me to touch the body up?" Jerry Mitchell My uncle Simmie did wake up, but they told him to go back to sleep. Narrator:Moses Wright pleaded with the two men. But I didn't accept it. Lana Turner Milam sold their story to a reporter forLook Magazinefor $4,000. That's when we became afraid. Roy's half-brother J.W. J.W. When Bryant and Milam could not afford a legal defense, five local lawyers stepped up to represent the two suspectspro bono. An all-white, all-male jury acquitted Bryant and Milam of kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till. Milam. Discover short videos related to roy bryant interview on TikTok. J. Fred MacDonald & Associates The boy laughed. During the trial, the families arrived with their sons dressed in their Sunday best,Roy and J.W. We were just all good friends. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A childhood case of polio left him with a stutter, but by the time he was a teenager, Emmett Till had grown into a cocky, self-assured boy who loved to be the center of attention. Robin Kelley Milam Lamont At Large 449K subscribers Subscribe 19K Share 515K views 2 years ago visiting the graves of Roy Bryant and JW Milam the two men who after a trial. Roy Bryant died of cancer 13years later. I said, "What all that blood come from?" What was Roy Bryants ethnicity? And we don't intend to. Ah, they had the ceiling fans that were only stirring the air up, making it hotter when it reached your body. Allan M. Jalon, Los Angeles Times, "1955 Killing Sparked Civil Rights Revolution Emmett Till: South's Legend and Legacy" Bryant." Narrator:On August 19th, Mamie gave Emmett the ring that had belonged to his father. Wheeler Parker:We went to South, near the beginning of cotton-picking time, late August, and we picked cotton for a half a day and we would go swimming, run the snakes out the river. "When people saw what had happened to my son, men stood up who had never stood up before.". Roy Bryant: I'm just glad it's over with. Jan. 7 2022, Published 2:46 a.m. He had served in World War II and received combat medals. Then he said, "Well, we'll be down there in a little while," and he sent deputies down here to go with me and we took the boat and went up the river. The team discovered the warrant on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in an archived file folder in the Leflore County Courthouse. I heard that beatin' even, before I got to, even before I got to the barn. Florence Mars She stormed out. William Pearson, THANKS TO John E. Allen, Inc. Two rooms about 12 feet square. On a steamy Wednesday afternoon, Emmett and seven other teenagers piled into Moses Wright's old Ford and headed to Bryant's grocery. And I wondered, was it necessary to shoot him? That's what he did. Donham's husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. The two had already been tried and . Narrator:After the trial, sheriff Clarence Strider told reporters, "I hope the Chicago niggers and the NAACP are satisfied.". Richard Heard, Emmett Till's classmate The local theater is segregated. Roy Bryant (born January 24, 1931 - died September 1, 1994) was an American Store Owner and Former Soldier from Money, Mississippi. died, Juanita was. Back of the house is a tool shed. Narrator:Moses Wright stood and pointed first at Roy Bryant, then at J.W. We went to grammar school together. He later went to welding school. "Why not give the boy a whipping," Wright begged, "and leave it at that? Lois Walker, Archivist, Chicago Defender The Murder Jurors had acquitted the two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam and had been seen washing blood from Milam's truck, disappeared. Milam, of the 1955 kidnapping and murder of Till. The kids outside said she was going to get a pistol. Emmett's death was the opening of the Civil Rights movement. J.W. Their acquittal created massive outrage and was the spark in the upsurge of activism and resistance that was later referred to as the Civil Rights movement. They even alluded to Carolyn as "Roy Bryant's most attractive wife" and a "crossroads Marilyn Monroe.". In every community in Mississippi, there is segregation of the races. LOOK Magazine, January 24, 1956. JW Milam (left) and Roy Bryant (right) confessed to Emmett Till's killing in 1956 after being found not guilty. Too Tight was out there washing the truck out. In 1981, Milam died of cancer of the bone. John Herbers:The reaction of reporters from out of the South was one of just absolute amazement. Carolyn Bryant, right, was 21 when her husband Roy Bryant, left, lynched and murdered Emmett Till after he . She was the wife of Roy Bryant, one of the alleged killers. Apart from it, he is an owner of a grocery store. In 1945, Mamie got word that Private Till had died in Europe. But, he said, "I had decided to tell it like it was.". His family had worked cotton for generations, but this trip would be Emmett's introduction to the Delta, known as "the most southern place on earth.". Schedule an interview today! At some point, Roy attempted to join the police force. Wright had been in hiding since the night of the kidnapping, and had been threatened with death. With the words "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," the Supreme Court reversed legalized segregation. Mamie Till:The verdict came in "not guilty". It was like a nightmare. Narrator:Mamie Carthan arrived in Chicago at the age of two. Plater Robinson Roy Bryant and his co-accused ended up living miserable lives and died of cancer. And, of course, Emmett Till begged us not to tell my grandfather what had took place. On January 24, 1956, Look magazine published the confessions from the two men. James E. Dunford Specifically, Roy Bryant is a murderer, torturer, Kidnapper, and many more. After their acquittal in the Emmett Till trial, defendant Roy Bryant (right), smokes a cigar as his wife happily embraces him and his half brother, J.W. The prosecution's best witness was Moses Wright, who had clearly seen the men who took Emmett Till from his home. As if this was either the last straw or maybe it was the spark. People became vocal who had never vocalized before. Emmett, her only child, was four years old. I just in my mind I kept sayin', "I'll see him again," you know. Biography and latest updates. The men later admitted to the killing in a 1956 interview with Look magazine. Edwin King Milam. Stock Footage, Prosecutor Chatem w/charges:D.A. Stock footage of Tallahatchie River w/commentary:This is the muddy back woods Tallahatchie River where a weighted body was found alleged to be that of young Emmett Till. Magnolia Cooksey-Mathious:And as we were led into the church, my girlfriends and myself, we walked up to the casket and it was covered with a glass and we all looked down; this was our friend laying lookin' like a monster. "The life of a Negro in Mississippi," one European paper observed, "is not worth a whistle." Erich Hartmann/ Magnum Photos . The Commercial Appeal Some even alluded to Roy Bryant's wife as a crossroads Marilyn Monroe because of her amazing beauty. Milam as the men who abducted Till, but the all-white, all-male jury acquitted them. Narrator:Protected from further prosecution, Roy Bryant and J.W. Magnolia Cooksey-Mathious:It was on a Sunday afternoon. Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W Milam were accused of brutally slaying Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago. Rose M. Compagine One of them was "Isn't that just like a nigger to swim across the Tallahatchie with a gin fan around his neck?". Local stores collected $10,000 in countertop jars for Bryant and Milam. I just can't go into detail to tell you the silly things, the stupid things that were brought up as probabilities and they swallowed it like a fish swallows a hook. Mamie Till:When people saw what had happened to my son, men stood up who had never stood up before. You could hold your head up in Chicago. Jan. 13 2022, Published 9:58 p.m. Milam and Roy Bryant got away with murdering Emmett Till when an all-white jury acquitted them. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). Donham's husband, Roy Bryant, and brother-in-law, J W Milam, kidnapped and brutally murdered Till on August 28, 1955, and dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River. Evidence indicated a woman, Donham, who identified the young boy to the men who later killed him. William Winter:Many white Southerners, perhaps most Deep South Southerners had convinced themselves that black people were relatively happy in their -- in their segregated relationships with white people. And that is what led to the brutal murder of Emmett Till by Roy Bryant. Wheeler Parker:It was like a nightmare. And he was the lively one. Take this." Interviewer: Have you studied the case by reading the papers perhaps? Black Man: I don't know whether they should or not. Takagi Emmett walked in and bought two cents' worth of bubble gum. Tony Czech Chicago Defender He would pay people to tell him jokes. The next day, Roy Bryant was arrested for kidnapping. Mr. Rayner was, he told the mother, he said, "If I was you I wouldn't look at this body because this body in such a horrible condition." Eisenhower didn't even answer Mamie Till's telegram. Bryant and Milam had already been rounded up as murder suspects, and Southern papers were decrying the "savage crime." Roy Bryant and his brother Millam were taken to court to be judged for abducting and murdering Emmett Till. He stopped at Roy Bryant's general store in Money, 20 miles south of Glendora, where he was alone for a moment with Bryant's young wife, Carolyn. Moses Wright, description of kidnapping:So we marched around through two rooms and I found the boy in the third room in the bed with my baby boy and they told him to get up and put his clothes on. Ernest Withers, photographer . Roy Bryant was one of the people indicted for murder in 1955. In some sections of the state there is a preponderance of colored citizens. Martha Huie Mamie: I do know that this is my son. Carolyn also stated that she couldnt utter the unprintable word he had used. I said, "What about your ring?" Milam and Bryant were acquitted of the murder of Emmett Till. In his summation, the lead defense attorney warned members of the jury that their ancestors would turn over in their graves if Bryant and Milam were found guilty. Clark County Tribune Stock Footage, News Anchor Reports Till Verdict tape:In the Emmett Till Murder trial, the all white jury has acquitted the two white defendants accused of killing the 14-year-old Negro youth. In 1955, Mamie Till was unwillingly thrust into American history by her son's murder. They agreed not to tell their husbands, who were out of town on a trucking job. Stock Footage, Man on the Street Interviews with whites about trial:White Man: I can't understand how a civilized mother could put a dead body of her child on public display. It was just the spot. What are the best websites to watch and download Indian TV series? When thetrial opened in September, the national and international press descended on the scene. Narrator:Scores of reporters descended on the Delta. Even though the crime was savage, Roy and Milam got five local lawyers to represent them pro bono. John Herbers, Journalist:Sheriff Strider was a big, fat, plain talking, obscene talking sheriff you would expect to find in the South. A Mississippi sheriff becomes a symbol of southern intransigence in the Emmett Till case. Milam was at a store in nearby Minter City when the Leflore County sheriff caught up with him. Interviewer: And you don't know whether they should be indicted? Mrs. Milam: Fine. Narrator:Emmett's body had been weighed down with a 75-pound cotton gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire. And as she went to the car, we all jumped in my uncle's car. He feared paying for his crimes before he died. Milam. The couple moved to Indianola, in Sunflower County, with their kids. Isn't it true that your son is in Detroit, Michigan with his grandfather right now?". I mean it was almost like a 4th of July celebration, or it was almost as if the White Sox had won the pennant in the city of Chicago. And a push to implement the new law on school desegregation had whites from the delta to the statehouse spitting fire. William Winter, former governor of Mississippi Magnolia Cooksey-Mathious, Emmett Till's classmate Table of Biography [ show] Early life Roy Bryant was born on January 24, 1931, in Money, Mississippi, United States of America. Milam, had barely been acquitted of the. "Thar he," he said. Roy Bryant was married to Carolyn Bryant Donham until his death. He could not have that, you know physical show of affection, of sharing grief, or whatever. I mean the whole gym went crazy. Roy Bryant, Donham's husband at the time, and his half-brother J. W. Milam were acquitted of the murder, but later admitted to it inan interview with Look Magazine. and Juanita had divorced years earlier, as did Roy and Carolyn Bryant, but when J.W. Narrator:Tallahatchie county sheriff and plantation owner Clarence Strider was responsible for locating witnesses and gathering evidence against Bryant and Milam. Donham was quiet about her. Wheeler Parker:Nobody talked to anybody. Of her accusation that Till had physically and verbally harassed her, she told Tyson, according to Vanity Fair:. That was a way of life. Clenora Hudson-Weems (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). Conozca a la influyente autora y figura clave del Renacimiento de Harlem. Less than four days after Till's interaction with Carolyn Bryant, Roy Bryant and his half-brother, J.W. Moses Wright, description of kidnapping:Near to the car they asked a question, "Is this the right one?" Milam, received notoriety for the alleged murder of a 14-year-old Black youth named Emmett Louis Till. He was that kinda kid. Helen R. Russell ET. Mamie Till:Chicago was a land of promise and they thought that milk and honey was everywhere. After Emmett Till's murder trial, Carolyn and Roy's store in Money was closed upon the African-American community's boycott. He was born on January 24, 1931, and died in September 1994 of cancer. Stock Footage, Mamie Comments on Trial Verdict:And what I saw was a shame before God and man. The white men tell what happened in "The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi." Get even more great free content! Till's cousins later testified that they heard him . A high school dropout, she won two beauty contests and married Roy Bryant, an ex-soldier. I say "Who?" Their account appeared just four months after the acquittal. If there was a group there, Emmett was in front. Mamie Till:I thought that pretty soon the crowd would die down. He was just 13 just a few weeks before we went down there. You didn't disagree with 'em on a whole. I don't know why he can't just stay dead .". Narrator:On September 19th, less than three weeks after Emmett's body was found, Roy Bryant and J.W. People die, pictures don't. Pictures keep dead people alive. "Emmett Till's shoe.". "The . "Hell no, that's shit you talking." No one ever did time for the killing of the 14 year-old black boy from Chicago. I kept on up until I got to his chin and then I -- I was forced to deal with his face. On August 28, 1955, a 14-year-old African-American named Emmett Till was kidnapped from his relative's home in Mississippi by two adult white men, who brutally beat him to death. He was the one that everybody kind of looked to. The boys corpse would later be found decomposing in the Tallahatchie River. And said they wanted the boy that did the talk at Money. Don't even look at her. . The early 1950s and 1960s is considered the Civil Rights Era. There's one of his shoes here." Brandon Teena's story: Background, what happened, and documentaries. ", Narrator:J.W. He throwed his head up there, just like that. Lamar, much like his brother, has been kept away from public view in the decades since his family first came into public notoriety. Discussion centeres on the Emmett Till case and his interviews with J.W. For three hours that morning we had a big old fire in the yard. William Bicket, INTERNS Milam Bryant Scratch:We took him and we was just gonna whip him, scare some sense into him. Donham's 2007 interview, when she was 72, is being published for the first time. . A high school dropout, she won two beauty contests and married Roy Bryant, an ex-soldier. Carolyn Bryant, who set off the lynching of Emmett Till by accusing the Black teen of improper advances in 1955, rests her head on her husband Roy Bryant's shoulder on Sept. 22, 1955, after she . His year of birth is calculated to be 1953, and if this is correct then he must be around 70 years old currently. Mamie Till went to Washington to press the Federal Government to re-open the case. His body was taken to a funeral home owned by A.A. Rayner, who had promised Mississippi authorities that he would keep the casket nailed shut. So it was just like you know hush hush you know so I was told to keep my mouth shut and that's what I did. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. Emmett Till, a teen from Chicago, didn't understand that he had broken the unwritten laws of the Jim Crow South until three days later, when two white men dragged him from his bed in the dead of night, beat him brutally and then shot him in the head. Milam and Roy Bryant were arrested on a kidnapping charge in 1955, but a grand jury failed to indict them. Though exactly what happened next is unconfirmed. I held up the gun. Yet Northern outrage prompted many Southerners to resent outside agitators and rally in support of the suspects. Narrator:When Mamie Till arrived, she had to make her way through an unsympathetic crowd gathered on the courthouse lawn. He said, "I won't need this where I'm going." In the summer of 1955, Roy and Milam abducted a 14-years-old African American boy named Emmett Till at gunpoint from his great uncle's home in Money, Mississippi. So, what happened to Roy Bryant, one of the accused in the murder of Emmett Till? Watch popular content from the following creators: cam(@officiallycamunbothered), cam(@officiallycamunbothered), Xavier(@prowrestlingref_xazv1292), Missy 313(@missmissy3131), LOCK(@vroydrillations), (@roybal_interviews), michaela(@iatethis), sportstok.tik(@sportstok.tik), Keano . Sulyn Silbar, CONSULTANTS Bryant died in 1994, while Milam died in 1981. Milam, were . John Herbers, journalist Frightened, Emmett and his group left. Interviewer: What do you mean you don't know? Emmett Till's body is taken to Chicago's Roberts Temple Church of God for viewing and funeral services. Friday. Mamie Till Mobley Till's death was a spark that helped mobilize thecivilrights movement. Here's what you should know about the movie, 7 Inspiring Benefits of Breastfeeding Your Child: "Reduce Risks of Diseases", Lufthansa closes in on stake in Italy's ITA Airways, Will Smith Accepts Invite from Daring Zanzibari High Divers: "I'm on My Way", Who are Queen Naija's parents? The blacks feared for their lives and their family's lives. Stock Footage, Mamie Till Arrives at Trial News Conference:Interviewer: What do you intend to do here today? Roy Bryant, a 24 year-old ex-soldier and his wife Carolyn owned the grocery and not much else. Milam and his brother Roy Bryant, both white, were charged with the crime. And 100 days after the death of Emmett Till, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person, and the Montgomery bus boycott began. I said, "Congressman, this is one verdict you don't want to be present to hear.". I wouldn't get any help carrying this load. By Jennifer Tisdale. You are not going to permit the NAACP to control your state. The couple ran a small grocery, Bryant's Grocery & Meat Market, that sold provisions to black sharecroppersand their children. He gained popularity because of the brutal murder of Emmett Till. Historian, public speaker and author Danielle McGuire PhD and journalism professor and author Allissa Richardson speak with the Gen-Z historian Kahlil Greene about the role of the media in shaping public perception around the murders of Black Americans. Now in her mid-80s, her current status and whereabouts are kept private by her family, though. If they would keep their nose and mouths out of our business we would be able to do more and enforcing the laws of Tallahatchie County and Mississippi. Episode 264: Segment 3, David Holmberg, long-time journalist opens up about the day he interviewed Roy Bryant, the husband of the woman who accused Emmett Till of touching her inappropriately.. In just over an hour, the jury returned. The two men were indicted and tried in September 1955. Chatem: The federal indictment is that they did willfully, unlawfully, feloniously and of their malice of forethought kill and murder Emmett Till, a human being. William Winter, Governor:It was argued in coffee shops all over the Deep South, that "If we give on this, then we'll, we'll start giving on everything else and the first thing you know, we won't have a segregated society, and black people will be taking over in this part of the country.". Hollis Watkins Trudy Williams Chris Coleman family murders trial, what happened, latest updates. The two men who were acquitted of his murder were Roy Bryant and his half brother, J.W. Interview was given in 2007 and has only now come to light in a book published today . I saw him he had khaki pants on, had a green nylon shirt, and a .45 on his side. Tuko.co.ke featured an informative article about the Somali Canadian singer that has disappeared from the limelight for quite some time. Roy, Carolyn and J. W. became celebrities. A triumphant Bryant is seen smoking a cigar as Carolyn . Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were. Narrator:Emmett's family lived on the outskirts of Money, a whistle-stop town in the heart of Delta cotton country. Carolyn Bryant,the daughter of a plantation manager and a nurse, hailed from Indianola, Mississippi, the nucleus of the segregationist and supremacist white Citizens' Councils. And all a white woman had to say was, "That nigger kinda looked at me or sassed me." Everybody knew we were under attack and that attack was symbolized by the attack on a 14-year-old boy. Milam, who were found not guilty in a trial for the 1955 murder of black teenager Emmett Till, confess in an article in Look magazine published Jan. 24, 1956. No longer than two hours, the high sheriff come back. Willie Reed, Mississippi Resident:And I was in the cotton field and I was pickin', I was pickin' cotton, pickin' cotton, and I looked across the field and there was about seven or eight peoples comin' across the field towards me, was white and black comin' that way. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. Milam, kidnapped the 14-year-old boy from his great-uncle's house. SOUND RECORDISTS Who is Roy Bryant and J.W Milam? Unfortunately, to no one's surprise, they were acquitted by an all-white, male jury. New York Post Akilah Kweli, SPECIAL THANKS Betty Pearson, Mississippi resident Some reporters talked about Roy and Carolyn's "handsome looks" and J. W.'s tall stature and big cigars. . Rebekah Suggs. ", Mamie Till:As the jury retired, the black people who were standing around the walls began to ease out of the door. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. Yeah. He's only 14, and he's from up North. Reference Center for Marxist Studies, New York City Robert E. Luckett, Jr. He died in 1994. Card:Mamie Till returned to Chicago, remarried, taught public school for 24 years, and continued to speak publicly about her son's murder. which is solely responsible for its content. At the same time, of course, they wrote about it with great relish because it was a good story. Bryant and his half-brother J.W. The boy was so badly beaten that Moses Wright could identify Emmett only by his father's ring. Robert E. Luckett Jr. Carolyn Bryant is still believed to be alive. The family of Emmett Till, a black boy murdered in Mississippi 64 years ago after allegedly whistling at a white woman, have reacted with fury after the woma. And it made an awful lot of people realize that they themselves had to get involved and do something. Mamie Till's decision to hold an open-casket funeral would make her son's death a touchstone for a generation. In front of Wright's family, Milam and Bryant kidnapped his 14-year . In 1955, J.W. Drinking fountains are segregated. Investigations from civil-rights leader Dr. T.R.M. Milam, Corbis, Bryant's Grocery & Meat Market, Chicago Defender, Sign up for the American Experience newsletter! Till's brutal beating death in Mississippi in 1955, the acquittal of his professed killers by an all-white jury and the photos of his dead body sparked outrage outside the state becoming a. Narrator:In Chicago, a desperate Mamie Till notified the local newspapers of Emmett's disappearance. The boy's corpse would be found several days later, disfigured and decomposing in the Tallahatchie River. J.W. Richard Gardner Milam and Bryant were acquitted in the murder of Emmett Till. Is Roy Bryant still alive? In the early morning hours of August 28, 1955, Roy Bryant, his half-brother, J.W. They knew that there were strange things going on in places like Sumner, but they did not know it would be quite like that. Chicago Tribune Company He did a few welding jobs but eventually returned to the grocery business. Milam, and one other white man with Emmett Till early that Sunday morning, and had heard the sounds of a beating coming from Milam's shed. L'Humanite Who was Roys wife? We forgot about it. The jury foreman said the deciding factor was the states' failure to prove the identity of the body pulled from a river near Sumner Mississippi. Mamie Till Mobley, Emmett Till's mother Milam admitted having taken Emmett Till, but claimed they'd let him go. But he turned around and he came back and he kissed me good-bye and he said, "Here. And I told him I did. James Eastland, Senator:You are not going to permit the NAACP to take over your schools. Stock footage Mississippi Citizen's Council film on Forrest, Mississippi:This is Mississippi. This situation has brought problems, it has created challenges, but most important of all, it has inspired a social system to meet the challenge. You just didn't do that. The prosecutors had collected enough evidence with the assistance of NAACP Mississippi field secretary Medgar Evers and other black activists. Interviewer: And Mrs. Bryant? The 235-pound Milam was a hard drinking man with a reputation for being tough on anyone who got in his way. Milam? Milam were acquitted of the brutal murder of a 14-year-old Chicago boy named Emmett Till. It was that Sunday morning, early Sunday morning. Contributors to Civil Rights groups soared. Corbis Motion No one served time for the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. Mamie Till:He was running up the steps to try to make it to the train and I said, "Emmett, or Beau" -- I called him Beau, I said, "Where are you going? Despite being well-known because of their parent's case, their whereabouts are not public. We put him back in the truck. My eyes were so full of tears until I couldn't see. Written By: Ben Cosgrove. And I just said, "Hell, I'm fixing to die. Most were men who had been accused of associating with white women. on August 28, under the cover of darkness, the two white men showed up at Moses Wright'shome, where Emmett was staying, and took him away. She stormed out of the store. Milam laid bare the racism that ruled Mississippi. Narrator:In the 75 years before Emmett Till set foot in Mississippi, more than 500 black people had been lynched in the state. Oct. 19: Ruby Bridges became a civil rights icon at the age of 6, when she became the first African-American child to attend a previously all-white elementary school in New Orleans. Michael Flug (Laughs) It was somethin'. Don Richards Oudie Brown:Said, "J.W., I got a writ for ya." Richard Heard, Classmate:When we first met, we were in gym in Mr. Long's gym period. Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Everyone is wondering what he's up to today, considering he doesn't have hit songs that put him in the limelight in the first place. Shack Up Inn And he pulled away from me. But after the acquittal, in the magazine article, Bryant and Milam described the killing. Shortly afterwards, the defendants sold their story, includingtheir tale of how they murdered Till, to a journalist. Roy Bryant and J.W. Historic Films Reporters overheard members of the jury laughing and joking in the jury room. Roy Bryant (far . Roy Bryant (far right) and half-brother, J.W. Roy and Carolyn Bryant and J. W. Milam will always be linked to the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. They were mad, they were angry. Two nights later, Donham's then-husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Bibliotheque Royale de Belgique Wheeler Parker:We all got a-scared and someone said, "She's going to get a pistol."