On October 24 2004, 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley reports on the murder of old Emmett Till
Summary
TLDREl guion del video narra la conmovedora historia de Emmett Till, un joven afroamericano de 14 años asesinado en 1955 en Mississippi por sonreír a una mujer blanca. Su brutal muerte y la impunidad de sus asesinos, Roy Bryant y su medio hermano J.W. Milam, conmovió a la nación y fue un catalizador del movimiento por los derechos civiles. Cinco décadas después, la justicia aún no ha sido servida. La abertura de una investigación por el Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU. sugiere que más de una docena de personas podrían haber estado involucradas, incluidos al menos cinco que aún están vivos y podrían enfrentar acusaciones penales. La historia, impulsada por la investigación de Keith Beauchamp, un cineasta aficionado, resalta la lucha continua por la justicia y la verdad.
Takeaways
- 🕯️ El asesinato de Emmett Till en 1955 fue un evento que conmovió a la nación y marcó el inicio del movimiento por los derechos civiles en América.
- 👤 Emmett Till era un joven afroamericano de 14 años que fue secuestrado, torturado y asesinado por sonreír a una mujer blanca en Mississippi.
- 📖 Dos hombres blancos, Roy Bryant y su medio-hermano J.W. Milam, fueron juzgados por el asesinato de Till, pero fueron absueltos por un jurado compuesto exclusivamente por blancos.
- 🔍 Recientemente, el Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU. abrió una nueva investigación sobre el caso de Emmett Till, basada en evidencia que sugiere que más de una docena de personas podrían haber estado involucradas en su asesinato.
- 👴 Al menos cinco de las personas sospechosas de estar involucradas en el asesinato de Till aún están vivas y podrían enfrentar acusaciones penales.
- 🏚️ La falta de castigo por el crimen causó una gran indignación y puso en evidencia la discriminación racial y la injusticia en el sur segregacionista.
- 🤔 La historia de Emmett Till muestra cómo las leyes del sur dictaminaban hasta dónde podían comer, beber y dormir los afroamericanos, y cómo la vida de un joven de Chicago que visitaba el sur podría verse amenazada.
- 🗣️ La abuela de Emmett Till, Mamie Till, luchó para que el cuerpo de su hijo fuera llevado de regreso a Chicago para identificarlo antes de enterrarlo, enfrentándose a las autoridades de Mississippi.
- 📰 La imagen del cuerpo de Emmett Till fue publicada en Jet magazine, lo que provocó protestas y un movimiento de desobediencia civil que se extendió por el sur en la década de 1960.
- 👮♂️ La policía local y el sheriff, un apasionado segregacionista, intentaron enterrar rápidamente el cuerpo de Till para que el mundo exterior no descubriera lo sucedido.
- 🎬 El documental de Keith Beauchamp, un cineasta aficionado, jugó un papel crucial en la reapertura del caso de Emmett Till, tras investigar y reunir evidencia que sugiere la participación de más personas en el crimen.
Q & A
¿Quién era Emmett Till y qué sucedió en 1955 que impactó a la nación?
-Emmett Till era un joven negro de 14 años que fue asesinado en Mississippi por silbarle a una mujer blanca. Su muerte fue un punto de inflexión que encendió el movimiento por los derechos civiles en América.
¿Por qué se abrió una nueva investigación del Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU. en el caso de Emmett Till?
-Se abrió una nueva investigación debido a evidencia que sugiere que más de una docena de personas podrían haber estado involucradas en el asesinato de Emmett Till, y al menos cinco de ellas aún están vivas, pudiendo enfrentar acusaciones criminales.
¿Quiénes fueron Roy Bryant y J.W. Milam y qué relación tenían con el caso de Emmett Till?
-Roy Bryant y su medio-hermano J.W. Milam fueron los dos hombres acusados del asesinato de Emmett Till. Fueron absueltos en un juicio por una jurado compuesto únicamente por blancos, a pesar de la fuerte evidencia en su contra.
¿Cómo fue la situación de Emmett Till antes de ser secuestrado y asesinado?
-Emmett Till tenía 14 años y era de Chicago, visitando parientes en Mississippi en agosto de 1955. Fue secuestrado, torturado y asesinado por su actitud desinhibida y por silbarle a una mujer blanca en una tienda.
¿Qué sucedió después de que Emmett Till silbara a Carolyn Bryant y por qué fue un problema?
-Después de que Emmett Till silbara a Carolyn Bryant, ella se sintió amenazada y su esposo Roy, junto con su medio-hermano J.W. Milam, lo secuestraron y asesinaron. Fue un problema porque, en ese contexto de segregación racial en el sur de EE. UU., tales actos eran considerados graves delitos.
¿Cómo describió Mamie Till, la madre de Emmett, el cuerpo de su hijo después de ser encontrado?
-Mamie Till describió el cuerpo de su hijo como maltratado y torturado, con la nariz destrozada, dientes rotos y una oreja cortada. Su descripción reflejaba el horror de la brutalidad con la que fue asesinado.
¿Qué impacto tuvo la publicación de la foto del cuerpo de Emmett Till en Jet magazine?
-La publicación de la foto del cuerpo de Emmett Till en Jet magazine generó protestas y un fuerte rechazo social. Fue un símbolo poderoso del racismo en el sur de los Estados Unidos y contribuyó al movimiento por los derechos civiles.
¿Qué reveló la investigación de Keith Beauchamp y cómo influenció en la re apertura del caso?
-Keith Beauchamp, un cineasta aficionado, después de investigar y revisar miles de documentos antiguos y hablar con testigos, creyó que al menos 14 personas podrían haber estado involucradas en el secuestro y asesinato de Emmett Till, y cinco de ellas aún estarían vivas. Su investigación fue fundamental para la re apertura del caso por parte del Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU.
¿Qué papel jugó Carolyn Bryant, la mujer a la que Emmett Till silbó, en el caso y por qué está siendo investigada de nuevo?
-Carolyn Bryant, la mujer a la que silbó Emmett Till, está siendo investigada por ser sospechosa de haber ayudado a su esposo Roy y a J.W. Milam en el secuestro de Emmett Till. Se cree que pudo haber estado presente y haber identificado a Emmett cuando fue secuestrado.
¿Qué significa el caso de Emmett Till para la historia de los derechos civiles en los Estados Unidos y por qué sigue siendo relevante?
-El caso de Emmett Till es significativo para la historia de los derechos civiles porque su brutal asesinato y la impunidad de sus asesinos resaltaron las profundas inequidades raciales y la segregación en el sur de los Estados Unidos. Su caso sigue siendo relevante porque aboga por la justicia y la verdad, y resalta la lucha continua por la igualdad y la dignidad de todas las personas.
¿Qué esperar del resultado de la nueva investigación del Departamento de Justicia y cómo podría afectar a las personas involucradas?
-Se espera que la nueva investigación pueda desentrañar la verdad y, si se encuentran pruebas sólidas, podrían seguir acusaciones criminales contra al menos cinco personas que aún están vivas y que estuvieran involucradas en el caso. Esto podría resultar en un juicio y posiblemente en condenas, ofreciendo un cierre parcial a la familia de Emmett Till y un reconocimiento de la injusticia cometida.
Outlines
😢 Asesinato de Emmett Till y su impacto en el movimiento por los derechos civiles
El primer párrafo relata el trágico asesinato de Emmett Till, un joven afroamericano de 14 años que fue asesinado en 1955 en Mississippi por sonreír a una mujer blanca. Este suceso fue un punto de inflexión en la lucha por los derechos civiles en Estados Unidos. Se menciona la reciente apertura de una investigación por parte del Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU. basada en evidencia que sugiere la participación de más de una docena de personas en el asesinato, incluidos al menos cinco que aún están vivos y podrían enfrentar acusaciones penales. Además, se describe la situación de la segregación en el sur de los Estados Unidos en esa época y el impacto emocional y social que tuvo el asesinato en la familia de Till y en la sociedad en general.
🕊️ La indiferencia de la justicia y el legado de Emmett Till
Este párrafo narra los eventos que siguieron al asesinato de Till, incluyendo la captura y el juicio de sus presuntos asesinos, Roy Bryant y su medio-hermano J.W. Milam, quienes fueron absueltos rápidamente por un jurado compuesto exclusivamente por blancos. Se destaca la reacción de la madre de Emmett, Mamie Till, quien decidió exponer la brutalidad del asesinato a través de una fotografía abierta de su hijo en el funeral, lo que generó un fuerte movimiento de protesta y solidaridad. La descripción de la investigación y la falta de justicia por parte de las autoridades de la época pone de manifiesto la profunda discriminación racial existente.
📖 La investigación reabierta y la búsqueda de la verdad por Keith Beauchamp
El tercer párrafo presenta la re apertura de la investigación sobre el asesinato de Emmett Till impulsada en parte por el trabajo de investigación del cineasta amateur Keith Beauchamp. Se describe cómo Beauchamp, movido por la imagen del cuerpo de Till, dedicó gran parte de su vida a descubrir la verdad detrás de su asesinato. El párrafo también menciona la reacción de las autoridades y el Senador Charles Schumer, quien instó al Departamento de Justicia a reabrir el caso debido a la falta de una investigación completa hace 50 años.
🔍 Hallazgos de la investigación y la implicación de testigos adicionales
En este párrafo, se detallan algunos de los hallazgos de la investigación de Beauchamp, incluyendo la posible implicación de más de una docena de personas en el asesinato de Till. Se menciona a Henry Lee Loggins, un testigo clave que negó las acusaciones de haber participado en el crimen. Además, se sugiere que podrían haber estado involucrados hombres negros bajo coacción, y se plantea la posibilidad de que una mujer, identificada como la esposa de Roy Bryant, Carolyn, estuviera también involucrada en el asesinato.
🚨 La investigación actual y la búsqueda de justicia para Emmett Till
Este párrafo habla sobre la investigación en curso por parte del Departamento de Justicia de EE. UU., que está examinando la posible participación de más de una docena de personas en el crimen, incluyendo a aquellos que aún están vivos y podrían enfrentar cargos penales. Se menciona la inclusión de Carolyn Bryant, la esposa de Roy al momento del asesinato, como una posible焦点 de la investigación. El párrafo también describe el encuentro del equipo de periodistas con Carolyn Dunham, su actual nombre, y la negativa de ella y su familia a comentar el caso.
🏛️ La llamada a la justicia y el reconocimiento del dolor histórico
El último párrafo concluye el script reflejando sobre la búsqueda de justicia para la familia de Emmett Till y el dolor que el asesinato sigue causando después de 50 años. Se sugiere que una eventual condena de los culpables, incluso después de tanto tiempo, podría traer cierta medida de justicia, pero también resaltaría el dolor y la tristeza que sigue vivo en la familia y en la comunidad. El párrafo cuestiona la capacidad de la humanidad para cometer actos tan atroces y destaca la importancia de no olvidar el legado de Till.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Emmett Till
💡derechos civiles
💡juez y jurado blancos
💡violencia racial
💡segregación
💡investigación del Departamento de Justicia
💡testigo clave
💡confesión
💡Keith Beauchamp
💡Carolyn Bryant
💡justicia retrasada
Highlights
Emmett Till, a young black boy, was murdered in Mississippi in 1955 for whistling at a white woman, an event that sparked the civil rights movement.
Two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were acquitted of Emmett's murder by an all-white jury despite strong evidence against them.
The U.S. Justice Department opened a new investigation into Emmett Till's murder in 2023, suggesting over a dozen people may have been involved.
At least five individuals potentially involved in Emmett's murder are still alive and could face criminal prosecution.
Emmett Till was from Chicago and was visiting relatives in Mississippi when the incident occurred.
Wheeler Parker Jr., Emmett's cousin, shared his perspective on Emmett's character and the cultural differences between Chicago and Mississippi.
The incident at Bryant's grocery store, where Emmett whistled at Carolyn Bryant, led to a series of tragic events.
Emmett's abduction and murder were carried out by Roy and J.W. Milam, who later confessed to the crime but were never punished.
Mamie Till, Emmett's mother, fought to have her son's body returned to Chicago and made the decision to have an open casket funeral to reveal the brutality of his murder.
The shocking image of Emmett Till's body in the open casket was published in Jet magazine, igniting widespread protests and civil disobedience.
The trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam was held in Sumner, Mississippi, where they were acquitted in just over an hour by an all-white jury.
Willie Reed, an 18-year-old sharecropper, testified to seeing Emmett with six people before his abduction and hearing screams, suggesting his torture.
Despite the confession of the killers, no action was taken by the government for nearly 50 years, leaving the Till family without justice.
The reopening of the Emmett Till case was largely due to the research of Keith Beauchamp, an amateur filmmaker from Louisiana.
Beauchamp's research suggests the possible involvement of more than a dozen people in the murder, including some who are still alive.
Henry Lee Loggins, now 81, was allegedly involved in Emmett's abduction and murder, and is currently under investigation by the Justice Department.
The possibility of black men being involved in the crime raises questions about coercion and the complex racial dynamics of the time.
Carolyn Bryant, the woman whistled at by Emmett, is suspected of assisting in the abduction and is a focus of the new investigation.
The Justice Department's investigation could lead to criminal charges against at least five people within a year.
The pursuit of justice in Emmett Till's case, even after 50 years, is seen as a necessary step to reconcile past injustices and send a message against racial violence.
Transcripts
60 Minutes rewind
for many of you the name Emmett Till May
not sound familiar but what happened to
him in 1955 stunned the nation Emmett
Till was a young black boy who was
murdered in Mississippi for whistling at
a white woman and his death was a spark
that ignited the civil rights movement
in America two white men were put on
trial for killing him but in spite of
strong evidence against them they were
acquitted in about an hour by an
all-white jury
why are we telling you this now because
this past spring the U.S justice
department opened a new investigation
based on evidence suggesting that more
than a dozen people may have been
involved in the murder of Emmett Till
and that at least five of them are still
alive
those five could face criminal
prosecution and before we tell you about
them let us tell you what happened to
Emmett Till
he was 14 years old when he was
kidnapped tortured and killed the two
men who were acquitted of his murder
were Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W
Milo the failure to punish anyone for
the crime made headlines across the
country and around the world exposing
the racial hatred and unequal Justice
for blacks that was pervasive in the
segregated South
where laws dictated where blacks could
eat
and drink
and where they could sleep
but Emmett Till wasn't from the south he
was from Chicago and just visiting
relatives in Mississippi in August of
1955 when his nightmare began image 16
year old cousin traveled to Mississippi
with him the family was reluctant to let
Emmett take the trip afraid his
free-spirited nature could get him into
trouble in the Deep South
that cousin who traveled with him is
wheeler Parker Jr now 65 years old he
was the center of Attraction he's a
little pranks he loves fun he loved
jokes you know he just was there in the
center of everything he's kind of a
natural born leader
why would that be a problem
I mean Mississippi if I were to be a
problem
that would be a problem because uh the
mississippians what he thought was just
fun or a joke wasn't funny to them so
before you went down did anybody say
look here are the do's and the don'ts
about going to Mississippi you do this
you don't do that oh yes that's routine
you're always prepared to go to
Mississippi to stay alive because you
know once you got to Mississippi you had
no protection under the law you couldn't
call anyone for help once you were there
if you got in trouble for imitate until
the trouble started here
at Bryant's meat market and grocery
store in Money Mississippi
back then most of the customers at this
store were black workers from nearby
cotton plantations the store was owned
by a white couple Roy Bryant and his 21
year old wife Carolyn who was behind the
counter the afternoon that Emmett Till
and his cousins came in to buy some
candy as he was leaving the store Emmett
Till whistled at Carolyn Bryant and she
went to get a gun
Simeon Wright Emmett Till's cousin who
lived in Mississippi was 12 years old on
that day when they went to Bryant's
grocery store today at 62 he says the
sound of Emmett whistling is as Vivid to
him now as it was 50 years ago when he
whistle we all
we ran we jumped in the car and we got
out of there just because he was oh yes
it's like if you if you're a kid you
throw a rock and break a window you
don't hang around and see what's going
to happen and you knew that in
Mississippi
at that time 1955
that was something you didn't do that
was something you didn't do
Emmett Till and his cousins raced home
that day and hoped nothing would come of
what imminent had done
but three days later Carolyn Brian's
husband Roy and his half-brother J.W
Milam went looking for him until in the
middle of the night and found him and
his cousins at the home of Reverend Mose
Wright Emmett's late great uncle who
recounted what happened next
Sunday morning about 2 30
. I Heard a Voice at the door
and I who was it and it said this is Mr
bright
I want to talk with you and the boy
and when I opened the door
that was a man standing with a pistol in
one hand the flashlight in another
Emmett Till and Simeon Wright moves
right son were to sleep together in one
room and Wheeler Parker was in another
room awakened by the sounds of angry
voices field just regret me because in
my heart I say I'm getting ready to die
and at 16 I wasn't ready to die
and I could just feel like the whole bed
was shaking and then these guys come
with the pistol in one hand and a
flashlight in the oven
and for some reason I closed my eyes and
I opened them and they just passed right
on by me went to the next room I woke up
and I I looked I saw two men standing
over the bed with the one-handed gun
which was JW Milan I saw uh Roy Bryant
they ordered me to lay back down and go
back to sleep
and they ordered Emmett to get up and
put his clothes on and my mother was
pleading and begging with them not to
take him my dad was pleading with him
and and my mother then at that time
offered to to give them money
to leave uh Emmett alone
and Roy Bryant kind of hesitated but JW
Milan
he didn't hesitate at all he didn't even
think about taking money he came there
to take Emmett and that's what he
proceeded to do
before taking Emmett Till out of the
house Simeon Wright says J.W Milam
threatened his father Reverend Mose
Wright before they left my room he
turned and asked my daddy how old was he
my daddy told him that he was 64.
and J.W Milan said if you tell anybody
about this you won't live to get 65.
well what did you think then this man
wasn't afraid of the law
he marched into my home
take out my cousin
and wasn't afraid the law was going to
bother him this must have been
terrifying for you I mean you were just
you weren't 13 yet 12 years old 12 years
old lying in bed in the middle of the
night two white men come in one with a
gun and tells your cousin to get up and
get dressed yes yes
I'd have been scared to death not on a
free but that was a a sorrow of sadness
over the whole house look like you look
like you could you can cut the grief in
the in the house
because after they left no one said
anything Holly
I would like to hear my dad say was um
on August 31st 1955 three days after
he'd been abducted Emmett Till's mangled
body was found by a boy fishing in the
waters of a Tallahatchie River not far
from money
his body had been weighted down by a 75
pound fan from a cotton gin attached to
his neck by barbed wire he'd been badly
tortured and I was detached an ear cut
off and he appeared to have been shot in
the head
his death was the birth of a powerful
and Lasting symbol of Southern racism in
the 20th century
the local sheriff h.c Strider a
plantation owner and Ardent
segregationist tried to have the body
buried immediately in this small
Cemetery in Money Mississippi hoping no
one in the outside world would ever find
out what happened to Emmett Till
but Emmett's mother Mamie battled with
Mississippi authorities and was able to
have her son's body return to Chicago so
she could identify him before she buried
it Mamie 2 was determined never to let
anyone forget the brutal way in which
her son was killed she described the
chilling story in one of the final
interviews she gave before her death
last year at age 81. I looked at the
bridge of his nose and it looked like
someone had taken a meat Chopper and
chopped it
and
I looked to this teeth
because I took so much pride in his
teeth his teeth were the prettiest
things I'd ever seen in my life I
thought
and uh
I only saw two
who read the rest of them had just been
knocked out
and I was looking at his ears and that's
when I discovered a whole about here and
I could see daylight on the other side
I said I wasn't necessary to shoot him
some 50 000 people nearly all of them
black turned out for Emmett Till's
funeral in an enormous public display of
grief and solidarity
Mamie till ordered the funeral director
to place our son in an open casket
and permitted this shocking photograph
of Emmett's corpse which was published
in Jet magazine and seen across the
country
it ignited protests Civil Disobedience
and backlash that would consume the
South through the 60s I said I want the
world to see this because when people
saw what had happened
to this little 14 year old boy
they knew then that not only were men
black men in danger
but black children as well
the same day that Emmett Till was buried
Roy Bryant and J.W Milam were indicted
on charges of kidnapping and murder
their trial was held in the small
Mississippi town of Sumner billed as a
good place to raise a boy
the star witness was Emmett Till's late
great uncle Mose Wright who bravely
stood up in the courtroom and pointed
his finger at Milam and Bryant as the
ones who had come to his home and
abducted Emmett Till at gunpoint another
key witness was an 18 year old
sharecropper named Willie Reed who said
that on the morning after Emmett Till
was abducted he saw Emmett on a truck
with six people Roy Bryant J.W Milam two
other white men and two black men who
worked for Milam soon after Reid said he
saw the same truck parked in front of a
barn managed at the time by Milam's
brother and heard the screams of a young
boy he presumed was Emmett Till
today at age 67 Reed says he still
cannot get those sounds out of his mind
I heard the streaming being streaming
and being
and I said to myself
you could hear the looks yes you could
you could according to Willie Reed and
another witness four white men came out
of the barn including Milam who walked
right up to Reed carrying a 45 caliber
pistol
Marlon was coming out of the bond so he
actually said listen say uh did you all
hear anything and I said no I haven't
heard anything
why would you say that I mean you had
heard something you had heard screaming
you had heard somebody being beaten yeah
I saw about it was being beaten but then
you see modeling come on with what I
could say with a khaki pants on and a
green shedding 45 on his side then he
asked you and what's he gonna say
you didn't hear anything I didn't hear
anything
you knew that's what he wanted to hear
right
when they found the body did you put two
and two together and think that what you
had heard going on in that Barn that
that was Emmett Till are you sure
I wish you were there
I wish you were there fearing for his
life after testifying against Milam and
Bryant Willie Reed was smuggled out of
Mississippi
he went to Chicago where he suffered a
nervous breakdown and was hospitalized
you're a good man you got a lot of
Courage for 18 year old I think there
are a lot of people who would have
walked away from it wouldn't have said a
word no I I
couldn't I couldn't walk away from that
like that
because uh even was 14
probably never been admissive in his
life
and to come to visit his grandfather
and they
killed himself I mean so that's not
right and I saw when he we needed
pictures he saw his his body what he was
like then I knew that I couldn't say no
as the trial Drew to a close attorneys
for J.W Milam and Roy Bryant warned the
all-white jury that if they voted to
convict quote your forefathers will turn
over in their graves
it took the jury just an hour and seven
minutes to return a verdict of not
guilty
one juror said it wouldn't have taken
that long but they stopped to take a
soda pop break to make it look good
Milam and Bryant were congratulated by
their many supporters and kissed their
wives in Celebration
how do you folks feel now that it's all
over Roy how about you
I'm just glad it's over with
four months after the trial knowing that
double jeopardy protected them from
being tried again Roy Bryan and J.W
Milam admitted to a reporter from look
magazine that they had in fact tortured
and murdered Emmett Till
they were paid four thousand dollars for
their story in it Milam said I just made
up my mind Chicago boy I said I'm tired
of them sending your kind down here to
stir up trouble
damn you I'm going to make an example of
you
Emmett Till's family has had to live
with that for nearly 50 years that his
Killers confessed and nothing ever
happened to them
now with a new government investigation
underway Simeon right hopes someone will
finally be held accountable for the
murder of his cousin JW Modern War
Bryant
confess
that they kill Emin
the people of the state of Mississippi
said they didn't
we need to reconcile that statement and
we need to send a message to those who
are committing crimes against blacks
like this that you can get by but you
can't get away
the Justice eventually is going to find
you when the U.S justice department
announced recently that it was opening a
new investigation into the 1955 murder
of 14 year old Emmett Till It said the
case was a quote grotesque miscarriage
of justice and that it is examining
evidence pointing to the possible
involvement of more than a dozen people
in the crime Rory Bryan and J.W Milam
who were tried and acquitted are dead
but a number of others are still alive
and could face criminal charges for
their role in Emmett Till's abduction
beating murder and attempts to cover it
up
the justice department says it is
largely because of this young man that
the case has been reopened his name is
Keith beauchon an amateur filmmaker and
it's from Louisiana like a lot of people
in this country he was moved by the
shocking photograph of Emmett Till's
corpse that he saw while looking through
old magazines when he was just 10 years
old and ever since Beauchamp has devoted
much of his life to uncovering the truth
about what happened to him until after
seeing the photograph it shocked me
tremendously and um when parents came in
and set me down and explained to me at
that time the story of Emmett Till and
it hit me hard it really hit me hard I
heard the same story um I mean I
remember seeing this picture in that Jet
Magazine when I was a kid and I think
Emmett Till and I were probably about
the same age in 1955 14 years old
and growing up in in Philadelphia
you knew vaguely about the South but
like others my parents had protected me
from the realities of the South when I
saw that picture and I said hey
that's when I got my first lesson about
the south everyone has a story when they
first saw that photograph it stuck with
me that how could this person be killed
this way a youth you know that was like
me it was amazing to me that something
like that could happen
Keith Beauchamp told us that after
reviewing thousands of old documents and
talking to numerous Witnesses with
knowledge of the crime he believes that
at least 14 people may have been
involved in the kidnapping and murder of
Emmett Till and that five of them are
still alive you describe much of this to
Federal and and state investigations and
their reaction to that information their
reaction was overwhelming they couldn't
believe that a person this young would
be so interested in finding out the
truth I guess they were really stunned
that I did so much research on this case
so was Senator Charles Schumer a member
of the Senate Judiciary Committee which
has oversight of the justice department
after meeting with Keith Beauchamp and
his attorney Ken Thompson and examining
the research Beauchamp was gathering for
a documentary film he was working on
Senator Schumer urged the department to
reopen the Emmett Till case saying it
was never fully investigated 50 years
ago how would you characterize a conduct
of the federal
law enforcement agencies for the 50
years of this federal law enforcement
back then and even many years later
reflected the attitude of America oh
these things happen this is how it is
down there it is a stain and will be a
stain on both the Mississippi law
enforcement officials and the United
States federal government justice
department that it took
a young filmmaker to bring to light what
they should have brought to light in
1955 Emmett Till's mother Mamie tried to
get her government to bring the truth to
light she sent a telegram to president
Dwight Eisenhower
urging that Justice be meted out to all
persons involved in the beastly lynching
of her son in spite of FBI records and
news reports at the time citing specific
individuals President Eisenhower didn't
take any action Emmett Till's mother
died before the government reopened the
case this past spring a case based
largely on the research of Keith
Beauchamp among his discoveries
was Henry Lee Loggins now 81 years old
and living in Ohio
at the time of the murder Loggins was
working for J.W Milam FBI files from
1955 refer to Witnesses who claim they
saw Logans on the truck with Emmett Till
after he was abducted one respected
black newspaper at the time even
reported that Loggins allegedly held
Emmett Till down as Milam and Bryant
tortured him
Loggins was also reportedly ordered by
them to attach the fan from a cotton gin
around Till's neck just before tossing
him into the Tallahatchie River Henry
Lee Loggins is now under investigation
by the justice department when we talked
to him recently he denied the
allegations that have dogged him for
half a century I wouldn't say he didn't
tell a lie I went with them people I I
saw another how do you think your name
came up I mean not just in newspaper
articles but also with the FBI why did
people say that Henry Lee Loggins was
there I can't figure that out I couldn't
figure that out today Henry Lee how do
you explain all these stories it just
won't go away
such as you were there on the back of
the truck which I wasn't
that you participated in the in the
Abduction the kidnapping and the murder
of Emma too which I wouldn't
that you tossed his body in the river
which I wasn't what's your name yeah
yeah I said I wouldn't say it again tell
you no lie I don't know nothing about
that case what are you going to do when
the FBI comes knocking out I'm telling
them same thing that I wasn't there and
that's them too Lord know I wouldn't ask
five other black men now dead have also
been implicated in some way in the
abduction and murder of him until if any
of the allegations are true the question
is why knowing now that black men could
possibly have been involved I just keep
thinking you know about what could have
been going through him until his mind
you know seeing this and how do you
explain that that well they would turn
on one of their own we believe that they
were forced
to participate in the crime it was going
to even be them I Emmett Till it was
shocking at first because for so long
you've heard you know white men were
involved and that's what was it was a
white and black man you can help but you
know be amazed
it seems clear that black men were
involved Emmett Till's late great uncle
Mose Wright said there was a black man
on the porch when J.W Milam and Roy
Bryant came to take Emmett Till
he also said he heard a woman's voice
that night coming from a truck parked
outside he believed it was Roy Bryant's
wife Carolyn the woman Emmett Till had
whistled at several days earlier inside
her husband's grocery store in Money
Mississippi
most right son Simeon Emmett's cousin
says his father told him the same thing
oh yes it was a another man standing on
the porch
my dad talked about it that was uh
another person in the truck because when
they marched Emmett out to the truck
and they asked the person inside the
truck is this someone
my dad said heard a woman's voice
identifying him and as the boy that did
the whistling
so that must have been Brian's wife Mr
Bryant at that time we believed it was
uh Brian's wife and after 48 and some
odd years there's nothing has arisen to
dispel that belief
apparently the local authorities back
then believed it too and according to
FBI communiques issued an arrest warrant
for Carolyn Bryant on suspicion of
kidnapping but she was never arrested or
charged today we've learned that Carolyn
Bryant is a focus of the Justice
Department's new investigation suspected
of having assisted her husband Roy and
J.W Milam in the Abduction of Emmett
Till
she was divorced in 1979 and has since
remarried and moved several times
she had all but disappeared from public
view until we found her now age 70 and
known as Carolyn Dunham
living in Greenville Mississippi
while our cameraman was able to take
these pictures of her when I went to her
house she wouldn't answer the door
moments later her son Frank Bryant
arrived and we tried to talk to him
can we talk to Mrs Dunham can you talk
to me can I talk you get her to come out
no
I have some questions I'd like to ask
her about Emmett Till I'm sorry
will she come out and talk to us what'd
I do to you tell me again no she won't
back
I'm back I said goodbye goodbye
you're leaving
we called the house later in the day in
either Frank Bryant nor his mother
Carolyn would discuss the Emmett Till
case any further
we've learned that the justice
department could complete its
investigation within a year and criminal
charges against at least five people
could follow but the justice department
and the FBI declined to comment what
would Justice be in this case in my
opinion there ought to be a full trial
and if there are convictions even though
the people are old who did it they ought
to go to jail
while that may finally bring a measure
of Justice to the family of Emmett Till
it also brings back the pain
these memories are still sharp after 50
years oh yes
I'll never go away I'm still saying how
could that happen why would anyone
hate anyone to beat him and kill him and
torture him like that how can a human
being do that to a level
all because of a whistle
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