Women of the Movement (2022) s01e05 Episode Script
Mothers and Sons
1
[Eartha Kitt's "If I Was A Boy" plays.]
If I was a boy I'd know the things a girl shouldn't know I'd go where girls shouldn't go So, oh [SIGHS.]
If I was a boy [JUANITA.]
What's the hold up? I just wish I had something to wear that was worth looking at.
What about this one here? [CAROLYN.]
It's fine, I suppose.
Except I've worn it once already to court.
I'd pack and catch me a train Go out and raise me some Cain [JUANITA.]
They sure dress different up north, don't they? They talk different, too.
What she wears and how she talks is none of your concern.
There is such a lot a girl has gotta cope with There are times I think I expect the press will be after me today, once I testify.
Lord, I wish they'd just leave us alone.
[JUANITA.]
I suppose I don't need to remind you that this ain't another one of your high school beauty pageants.
Roy's life is on the line, and so is J.
W.
's.
For heaven's sake, Juanita, you don't think I know it? [CHILD SCREAMS IN DISTANCE.]
I'll deal with him.
You need to hurry up and get your head on straight.
You got us all into this mess.
It's up to you to get us out.
[PAPER SLAPS.]
[CHATHAM.]
The defense is desperate, Mrs.
Bradley.
I can smell it.
We have kidnapping confessions from both defendants, a great deal of circumstantial evidence, and now, thanks to these new witnesses, we can place Emmett at the plantation where Milam's own brother worked a few hours after his disappearance.
Thank God for Dr.
Howard and his team.
[SIGHS.]
You can bet we did.
Before these witnesses came forward, we had no clue where the crime was committed, only that it was.
And today, I intend to prove that Bryant and Milam killed your son on that very plantation that same morning.
It's gonna be tough for a jury to ignore eye-witness testimony from these farmhands, ma'am.
I'm glad to hear that.
However the fact remains that our only shred of physical evidence Our only proof that a murder occurred Is your son's body.
Which is why they are so determined to deny his identity.
And why we need you to prove to the jury that there was no hoax, and that, as a mother, you would know your son better than anyone.
I understand.
You need me to tell the truth.
And that's exactly what I intend to do.
[CHATHAM.]
The defense will try to cast doubts, of course, but just stick to the facts and you'll do fine.
Now, um, there is one more thing.
We've received a few letters from concerned citizens who haven't taken kindly to the fact that I've referred to you in the press as "Mrs.
Bradley.
" I'm sure you're aware of the Southern custom? I am.
We believe it would not serve us well to risk offending the jury before they've even had a chance to hear you speak.
If you'll permit me, I suggest I stick to the custom during questioning.
You're welcome to call me Mamie.
[CHATHAM.]
Thank you.
And please take care with your responses, too.
They're going to want to hear you say "sir.
" [VENDOR.]
Pop! Get your ice cold soda pop.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
[SMOOCHES.]
Good morning.
Look at you.
Almost didn't recognize you with all that paint on your face.
[VENDOR.]
Soda pop! Ice cold soda pop.
[MILAM.]
Damn, it just gets hotter in this hell hole every day, doesn't it? Son.
Gimme a couple of them cold ones.
Keep 'em coming.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
You straight on what you're saying? Of course, Roy.
[CLANGING.]
[CHATHAM.]
Now, Mandy, I direct your attention to the 28th day of August, 1955.
Did you see Willie Reed that morning? Yes, sir.
He stopped by my house about, uh Well, along 6:30, 7:00.
[CHATHAM.]
And at that time, did you look out towards Mr.
Leslie Milam's house? Y-Yes, sir.
I looked out the window.
[WHISPERING.]
What the hell happened to our chairs? [RUBY WHISPERING.]
Shh! Somebody must have moved them.
- Shh.
- [JUDGE.]
I need order, please.
I understand our audience has grown today, but I cannot allow anyone in those aisles because it poses a fire hazard.
I'm sorry, but if you do not have a seat, you'll have to wait outside.
Better luck next time, boys.
You may proceed.
Now, what did you see when you looked out towards Mr.
Leslie Milam's house, Mandy? I saw a green and white truck out there, and four white men.
They were going in and out the shed, and one went to the well and got a drink of water and then back to the shed.
[CHATHAM.]
Would you recognize that man if you saw him again? [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS.]
Yes.
He was kind of a tall man.
And bald-headed.
[CHATHAM.]
Thank you, Mandy.
[HICKS.]
Three days trying to track those witnesses down, and now we can't even report on what they say? Well, the drug store's been selling folding chairs.
I've seen a few white reporters bringing them in.
And you think they're going to let us get away with that, too? - Never know unless you try.
- Excuse me.
You're a reporter, aren't ya? Trying to be.
[SIGHS.]
What can I do for you? Well, we've been out here hoping to find somebody that could help us.
You see, m You see, my wife, she heard some talk yesterday while she was getting her hair done.
And we thought somebody ought to know about it.
What did you hear? Well, it's about them men folks have been talking about.
The ones that were in the truck the night they got that Chicago boy.
[BIRDS CHIRPING.]
[CHATHAM.]
Willie, as you came up towards Mr.
Leslie Milam's house, did you see anyone there? N-No, sir, not at first.
But there was a green a-and white truck in front of the shed, and it was the same truck I had seen earlier that had passed me by.
Who was in that truck then? Four white men in the cab, um, and three colored men in the back, and I seen somebody sitting down in the bed of the truck A colored boy.
Hmm.
Now, later on, did you recognize a photograph or anything that indicated to you who was sitting down in the bed of that truck? When I looked at the newspaper, um, I seen a photo of a boy.
It was the same one I seen in the back of the truck.
And was that Emmett Till? - Well - We object, Your Honor.
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
Objection is sustained unless it's connected, of course.
Now, I have a picture here that was offered as Exhibit 1.
Have you ever seen this boy before? Yes, sir.
It is a picture of the boy I seen on the back of the truck.
[CHATHAM.]
Now, as you were passing by Mr.
Leslie Milam's place later that morning, was Mr.
J.
W.
Milam there? [WILLIE.]
Yes, sir.
I-I seen him come out of the shed to the well.
Mr.
J.
W.
Milam, the man that is sitting right over there? Yes, sir.
[CHATHAM.]
Will you state whether he had anything unusual on his person? [WILLIE.]
He had a pistol on his belt.
[CHATHAM.]
And what did Mr.
J.
W.
Milam do when you saw him? [WILLIE.]
Well, he, um He just went to the well, got a drink of water, and then and then went back towards the shed.
And after you passed the shed, did you hear or see anything unusual? [CLEARS THROAT.]
I heard somebody hollering from in there, and I heard some licks like Like somebody was whipping somebody.
Thank you.
No further questions.
[BRELAND.]
Willie [CLEARS THROAT.]
when that truck passed by you that morning, did you recognize Mr.
J.
W.
Milam in there? Well, I-I didn't pay too much attention to them in inside the truck.
I-I just looked at the ones in the back.
Then you wouldn't say that Mr.
Milam was inside the truck? No, sir, I wouldn't say that.
No.
Later on, when you passed this shed, how far were you from it? Yeah.
I wasn't too far, sir.
[BRELAND.]
Well, would you say it was, um, 100 yards away? I wouldn't know, sir.
Mm.
Now, this person you testified, uh, was Mr.
Milam, how, uh how far was he from you when you first saw him there? [GULPS.]
Well, I wouldn't say how far, just because I I just wouldn't know, sir.
Then you don't know whether you were 100 yards away, or 200 hundred yards, or 500 hundred yards away from him? No No, sir.
[BRELAND.]
You, uh You stated that you heard something that sounded like licks from inside the shed, but you don't know whether Mr.
Milam was in there or not, do you? But I-I seen Mr.
Milam, uh, when when he left the shed.
But you didn't see him in the shed, did you? [WILLIE.]
Well, no, sir.
But I-I seen him w-when he left the shed and And went to the well, a-and I seen him when he went back towards it.
But you don't know whether the sounds you heard was somebody hammering, trying to fix a wagon, or something like that.
It was somebody whipping somebody.
S-Sir.
[BRELAND SIGHS.]
Um, Your Honor, so, we ask the court to exclude all evidence as offered by this witness and to direct the jury to wholly disregard it, because Roy Bryant has not been identified in any way as being present on the occasion as testified by this witness.
Your Honor, the defendants had the right to be tried separately, but they chose to stand trial together.
The motion will be overruled.
The testimony stands.
You may step down.
The state calls Mamie Bradley next.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[CROWD MURMURING.]
[GAVEL BANGS.]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS.]
- Damn it.
Sold out.
- Listen.
Ain't they got any more chairs in this godforsaken town? You know those missing men I heard about at the dance hall? They were spotted yesterday, about 20 miles up the road in the Charleston jail.
Wait.
Hold on.
We gave their names to Chatham so they could be brought in to testify, and you're telling me they ended up in jail? Charleston jail is in Sheriff Strider's jurisdiction, and we know he's crooked as hell.
What if he's got them hidden away in there so Chatham can't find them? [BOOKER.]
Well, the state wraps up testimony today.
Once they rest, it's over.
We can't introduce more witnesses.
Well, I doubt the folks at the jail would appreciate the likes of us just waltzing in there to ask questions.
Well, then we better find another way to prove it.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS.]
Hi.
Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the jail over in Charleston? What kind of business you got down there? I'm a reporter.
Uh, Dan Wakefield I-I write for The Nation.
Just following up on a tip.
Wondering if there was a a bus or some way to get out there? Tell you what.
We was fixing to head out there ourselves.
Why don't you hitch along with us? Now, Mamie, will you please state for the court and jury whether you were able to identify the body you saw at the funeral home in Chicago? Yes, sir.
I positively identified the body as being that of my son, Emmett Louis Till.
[CHATHAM.]
Please tell the court and the jury how you looked at it and what you did in identifying it.
I looked at the face very carefully.
I looked at the ears and the forehead and the hairline and also the hair.
And I looked at the nose and the lips and his chin.
I just looked at it all over very thoroughly.
And I knew, definitely, that was my boy, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Mamie, when your husband, the father of Emmett Till, was killed overseas, were his effects sent to you? Yes, sir.
They were.
I'd like ask you if in those effects there was a ring? - Yes, sir - Now, Your Honor.
We now object to the testimony of this witness with reference to the effects, or what is purported to be the effects of her dead husband being sent to her, without showing just who, when, and how those effects were sent.
Yes, I believe there would have to be a prior connection to identification of the ring.
Sustained.
Your Honor, we're just trying to identify the ring that the boy had on.
You can proceed a little differently, I believe.
Yes, sir.
Mamie, I will ask you if your son had a ring and frequently wore a ring and if that was sent to you along with the effects of your husband that you got? - Yes, sir.
- We object to that, Your Honor, for the reason that she said the effects were sent to her that were supposed to belong to her dead husband, but it hasn't been shown in evidence anything about the identity of these effects.
The objection is overruled.
[CHATHAM SIGHS.]
I will now hand you this ring, Mamie, with an engraving on it, "May 25, 1943", and the large initials of "L.
T.
", and I will ask you if this ring was sent along with the effects purported to be the effects of your dead husband? Yes, sir.
What was your husband's name? Louis Till.
In other words, his initials were "L.
T.
"? [MAMIE.]
Yes, sir.
And when you got that ring in his effects, what happened to it? Uh, well, I kept the ring in a jewelry box.
Before he left for Mississippi, Emmett looked in this jewelry box to get, um, cuff links, I think it was, and when he looked in the box there, he saw this ring.
And he left Chicago with it, did he? [MAMIE.]
Yes, sir.
And you definitely saw that that was the ring that he left there with? Yes, sir.
And that was the ring that he had on him when he came down here to Mississippi? Yes, sir.
Now, Mamie, I have here some photos taken by the police photographer shortly after the body was removed from the Tallahatchie River.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS.]
Is that a picture of your son, Emmett Till? Yes, sir.
It is.
Thank you, Mamie.
[CRYING.]
Mamie, did you have any life insurance out on Emmett Till? We object, Your Honor.
I'm gonna overrule that.
Did you have any life insurance on him? Yes, sir.
How much insurance did you have? About $400.
[BRELAND.]
And how long had you had these, uh These policies out on him? [MAMIE.]
Almost from his birth.
And to whom were they payable? We object to that, Your Honor.
The objection is overruled.
I was the beneficiary of one of them, and my mother was of the other.
And, uh And have you tried to collect on On those, uh, payments yet? We object to that, Your Honor.
That is highly irrelevant.
The objection is overruled.
Have you contacted the insurance companies about collecting? Yes, sir.
Now, [CLEARS THROAT.]
was, uh, Emmett ever in any trouble up in Chicago? We object to that, Your Honor.
Relevance? [JUDGE SWANGO.]
The objection is sustained.
You said you discussed your son's trip down to Mississippi several times with him before he left Chicago, is that correct? [MAMIE.]
Yes, sir.
[BRELAND.]
And did you caution him how to conduct himself while he was down here in Mississippi before he left? Again relevance? [BRELAND.]
I'll tell you how it's relevant.
I have an exhibit that I want the witness to identify.
Your Honor, I think it's perfectly clear what he is trying to do, and I think counsel should be counseled to stop asking more questions like that.
The objection is sustained.
The court would like to ask the gentlemen of the jury to step into the jury room for a moment, so that we may discuss this further.
[CHAIRS SLIDING.]
[DOOR OPENS.]
[CROWD MURMURING.]
The court will allow the defense counsel to proceed with this line of questioning without the presence of the jury.
If counsel can show that the testimony is indeed relevant, the court will allow the jury to hear it repeated.
You may proceed.
Well, thank you, Your Honor.
[GRUNTS.]
Before he left Chicago, did you caution your son how to conduct himself while in Mississippi? Yes, sir.
Now I have a a paper here where you are quoted.
Listen carefully, it says "I I told him several times before he left for Mississippi that he should kneel on the street and beg forgiveness if he ever insulted a white man or a white woman.
" Now Did you, uh, say that to him? [MAMIE.]
Not those exact words.
Then what did you tell him? Well, I told him he would have to be very careful with how he spoke, to always remember to say "Yes, sir," and "No, ma'am.
" And if ever there was an incident that would arise that might be any trouble of any kind with white people Um, if he bumped into somebody on the street, for example, I told him to go ahead and humble himself.
[BRELAND.]
Did you specifically indicate to him and caution him not to do anything to a white man so as not to bring on any trouble? [MAMIE.]
Yes, sir.
[BRELAND.]
Now, while he was living there in Chicago, had he been doing anything to cause you to give him that special instruction? No, sir.
Emmett has never been in any trouble at any time.
[BRELAND.]
And he had never been in a reform school? [MAMIE.]
No, sir.
[BRELAND.]
And he had never had any trouble in any way with any white people? No, sir.
Now, Your Honor, we submit that the testimony is indeed relevant, and that the witness be permitted to repeat it in the presence of the jury.
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
The prior objections to this portion of the testimony will be sustained, and the testimony will not be permitted before the jury.
No further questions, Your Honor.
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
You may step down.
The state rests.
Your Honor, the defense would like to call its first witness, Sheriff H.
C.
Strider.
[HICKS.]
We think the Sheriff's just trying to keep them from talking, but if you agree to verify your husband's identity, along with Too Tight, we could get authorities to grant you access to the jail and allies to protect you.
You said you were a friend of Too Tight's.
Ma'am, if your husband was a witness to Emmett Till's murder, there are probably a lot of people who want him dead.
Okay, now, the fact that he's still alive means there's still a chance to save him.
[SIGHS.]
Henry is a good guy.
If he was mixed up in anything with that boy, it's because he had no choice.
We know.
That's why we want to make sure that the men who are responsible are held accountable.
[BRELAND.]
As Sheriff of Tallahatchie County, have you taken bodies out of that river during the summer period, with weather like we had here in August? I have.
And what is your opinion, based on your past experience, as to how long that body had been in that river? We object to that, Your Honor.
He is not a doctor, and he is not qualified to testify about that.
He is not qualified as a doctor, but I think he is qualified.
Overruled.
I would say at least 10 days, if not 15.
[BRELAND.]
And when the body was discovered, how long had it been since Emmett Till was reported missing? [STRIDER.]
Three days.
[BRELAND.]
Could you tell whether this was a white person or a colored person? [STRIDER.]
The only way you might able to tell it was a colored person would be the hair, and I have seen white people have kinky hair.
[BRELAND.]
And was this body recognizable to be that of any particular person? Well, if one of my own boys had been missing, I really don't think I could say whether it was my son or not.
Or anyone else's.
I couldn't tell that.
All I could tell it was a human being.
Your witness.
[CHATHAM.]
Mr.
Strider, there was a death certificate prepared for Emmett Till, was there not? That's right.
And I believe that you signed that death certificate, did you not? Yes, sir.
[CHATHAM.]
And this death certificate certified the fact that this body was that of Emmett Till, isn't that correct? No.
I did not certify it was Emmett Till.
I said it was a dead body.
I never seen Emmett Till.
I could not swear it was Emmett Till because I didn't know what he looked like.
Sheriff, have you made any investigation to find out whose body that was? Who that person was? I sure have.
What efforts have you made to find out who that body was? Well, I got reports of a Negro who disappeared over at Lambert.
I went over there, investigated that, and one man'd tell you he saw him, and another man'd tell you that someone told him that they saw him, and then somebody else'd tell you that somebody else knew something about it, and you'd just end up right back where you started.
[CHATHAM.]
But you have no information whatsoever to indicate whose body that was? You have not gotten any information about that? No, I have not.
So she agreed to go to the jail? Mm-hmm.
As long we can get her in safely.
Which is where you come in.
We need you to go to Chatham again.
Get him to authorize a search while there's still time to introduce new witnesses.
The prosecution rested.
They've already moved on to the defense.
[SIGHS.]
Okay, uh We need to try anyway.
The judge can make an exception.
We're talking about two potential eyewitnesses to the actual murder.
We just need someone to bring them in.
I'm sorry that you and your compatriots went to all that trouble, Mr.
Packton, but those men are not in the Charleston jail.
What? How do you know? Because I took it upon myself to have it searched, along with the jail in Sunflower County, right after I received the letter you passed along from Dr.
Howard.
You suspected they were being held? No, but there was mention of two men named Levi Collins and Henry Lee Loggins and that they were missing, so I didn't want to leave any stone unturned.
Both searches, however, came up empty, according to my investigators, and both sheriffs raised hell about it.
But if the men were being held under false names, how can you be sure they weren't there? Loggins' wife should still be allowed to check.
My investigators are thorough, and butting heads with Sheriff Strider again is not going to do my case any good.
Thank you for coming in.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS.]
You know, if this really is the last case of your career, you sure you'll be able to live with yourself, knowing that you might have let the only witnesses to the crime slip right through your fingers? [BRELAND.]
Mrs.
Bryant, I direct your attention to Wednesday night, the 24th of August.
Who was in the store with you that night? [CHATHAM.]
If the court pleases, we object to anything that happened on that evening unless it is connected to the crime in question, which began on Sunday morning, the 28th.
Well, we will connect it.
The court would ask the jury to retire to the jury room for a moment.
[CHAIRS SLIDING, SHUFFLING.]
Now, the court will permit both sides to address the question as to whether or not this testimony will be permissible before the jury.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Your Honor, the state argued that one of the men who came to the home of Mose Wright on August 28th wanted to see the boy who did the talking at Money.
Now, the state raised inferences which the defendants believe they are entitled to explain and to show what happened.
And further, we believe that these occurrences are a part of what the state alleges is one entire transaction The beginning and the inception of the incident.
And as much, the occurrences there on that occasion are a part of the res gestae The circumstances Which relate to the case.
And as such, the defendants should be permitted to offer testimony in that particular.
[CHATHAM.]
Our proof started with the occurrences early Sunday morning, when two or more persons came to Mose Wright's house to get the boy.
We offered no proof of anything prior, and Mrs.
Bryant wasn't brought into this whatsoever.
And I think I can say that her name was never mentioned in this case.
Your Honor, the Supreme Court of Mississippi has many times held that former difficulties between parties cannot be brought in as evidence.
And further, we contend that anything that happened down there is no justification for murder anyway.
Your Honor, I would like to call attention to the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled that an incident may be separated by days, and by weeks even, but if they can be connected as part or partial of a man's transaction, then it doesn't mean that these things must all happen right together.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Gentlemen, the court is of the opinion that the testimony being offered here pertains to an incident prior to the crime in question.
Therefore, it is not admissible for the jury.
[CROWD MURMURING.]
[MURMURING QUIETS.]
[BRELAND.]
Your Honor, we still would like to develop this testimony for the sake of the record.
The court will allow it, for the sake of the record, not for the jury.
You may proceed.
Mrs.
Bryant, on Wednesday evening, the 24th day of August, 1955, did an incident occur which made an impression on you? Yes.
And just tell the court what happened there at the time, please, ma'am.
This nigger man came in the store and stopped there at the candy case.
[BRELAND.]
Now, when this Negro man came in the store, where were you in the store? [CAROLYN.]
I was farther back in the store, behind the counter.
Now, what transpired up there at the candy counter? I asked him what he wanted.
- And did he tell you? - Yes.
[BRELAND.]
And after you got the merchandise for him, what did you do? [CAROLYN.]
I held out my hand for his money.
And which hand did you hold out? My right hand.
Will you show the court how you held your hand out? And did he give you the money? - No.
- What did he do? He caught my hand.
[CROWD MURMURING.]
[GAVEL BANGS.]
[MURMURING QUIETS.]
[BRELAND.]
Now, will you, uh Will you show the court how he grasped your hand? [CROWD MURMURING.]
And was that a-a strong grip or a light grip he had when he, uh, held your hand? [CAROLYN.]
A strong grip.
[BRELAND.]
Hmm.
How'd you get loose? Well, I-I jerked it loose, like this.
[CROWD MURMURING, GAVEL BANGING.]
Quiet! Quiet! [BRELAND.]
And was it with that much difficulty that you that you got loose? Yes.
[INHALES DEEPLY.]
And just what did he say when he grabbed your hand? He said, "How about a date, baby?" [CROWD MURMURING.]
- Quiet! - [GAVEL BANGING.]
- Quiet! - [CHATHAM.]
Your Honor! Your Honor! [JUDGE SWANGO.]
That is enough.
[GAVEL BANGING.]
That's enough.
[CROWD MURMURING QUIETLY.]
And when you freed yourself, what did you do then? Well, I turned and tried to get to the back of the store, but he came at me and caught me by the register.
Mrs.
Bryant, will you stand up and put my hands just where he grasped you? Will Will you show the court? [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS.]
[CROWD MURMURING, GAVEL BANGING.]
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
Order! [BRELAND.]
In other words, with his, uh His left arm around your back? A-And his right hand on your hip? [GAVEL BANGS.]
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
Order.
Yes.
Uh-huh.
Um Please.
And did he say anything to you at that time when he grabbed you there? Yes.
He said, "What's the matter, baby? Can't you take it?" [BRELAND.]
He said, "What's the matter, baby? Can't you take it?" [CAROLYN.]
Yes.
And did you then try to free yourself? - Yes.
- And was it difficult? Did you succeed in freeing yourself? [VOICE BREAKING.]
Yes.
And did he say anything further to you at that time? Yes.
He said [SOBS.]
"You needn't be afraid of me.
" And And did he then use, uh, language that you don't use? - Yes.
- Hmm.
And can you tell the court what that word begins with What letter it begins with? Oh, in other words, is it an unprintable word? Yes.
[BRELAND.]
And did he say anything after that one unprintable word? [CAROLYN.]
Yes, he said, well [SOBS.]
"With white women before.
" [CROWD MURMURING.]
[BRELAND.]
Something to the effect that he had been with white women before? [CAROLYN.]
Yes.
[BRELAND.]
And after you, uh, freed yourself from him, what did you do then? [CAROLYN.]
Well, this other nigger came in and grabbed him by the arm and told him to "come on," and, "let's go.
" [BRELAND.]
Did he go, uh, willingly or unwillingly? Unwillingly.
And did he say anything further to you after he had said these obscene remarks? [CAROLYN.]
Yes.
He turned and said, "Goodbye.
" [BRELAND.]
And what did you do then? [CAROLYN.]
I ran out the door to go to the car.
[BRELAND.]
Which car? Mrs.
Milam's.
[BRELAND.]
And what did you go to the car for? To get the pistol.
- [CROWD.]
That's right! - Yeah! [GAVEL BANGS.]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
[GAVEL BANGS.]
[CLEARS THROAT.]
As you went through the door and went to the car, did you see this man again? [CAROLYN.]
Yes.
[BRELAND.]
And did he say or do anything at that time? [WEAKLY.]
He whistled.
[BRELAND.]
Can you make a sound something like the whistle he made there? Hmm? Well, was it something like this? [WOLF WHISTLES.]
[CROWD GROANS.]
[CAROLYN.]
Yes.
[BRELAND.]
After you got your pistol, Mrs.
Bryant, where was this boy then? Or I should say Where was this man? [CAROLYN.]
When I turned around, he was getting in a car down the road.
[BRELAND.]
Mrs.
Bryant what sort of impression did this occurrence make on you? I was just scared to death.
Your Honor, we submit that the testimony's relevant to remove from the minds of the jury the impression that nothing but talk had occurred in Money.
It remains the opinion of this court that the evidence is not admissible.
- Therefore - [CROWD MURMURING.]
I will have order! Therefore, the jury will not hear this testimony.
[CROWD MURMURING.]
[GAVEL BANGING.]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
That's enough.
[MAMIE.]
How dare that woman! How dare she swear on a Holy Bible to tell the truth, only to to spout horrific lies about a child! A child that she knows is dead because of her! A child they strategically referred to as a "man".
Those lawyers never even showed her a picture of Bo.
[DR.
HOWARD.]
That was deliberate.
On one hand, Bryant and Milam claim they let him go because it wasn't the boy from the store.
On the other hand, the wife says it was, so he deserved what he got.
It doesn't make sense.
None of it does.
Every word of it was a lie! And And the whistling, on top of everything else! My My son would never whistle at a white woman.
I taught him better.
At least the judge kept the jury from hearing those theatrics.
The only reason he would whistle is because of his stutter.
I taught him to do that if he got stuck on a word.
So even if he did whistle, he wouldn't have been whistling at her.
Sweetheart, what difference does it make? It still doesn't justify what they did to him.
I tried so hard to say the right things in there and to act the right way.
None of it even mattered, did it? Nothing I said could have changed a thing, because they were never going to listen.
And I was a fool to hope that they would.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
Whiskey neat, please.
Double.
[LIQUID POURING.]
[GLASS TAPS.]
[MAN.]
Then he chased her down, grabbed her right around the waist, and he surely would have done much worse, too, if she'd not had the courage to fight back.
Thank God she did.
The next girl might not be so lucky, though.
The fact of the matter is that the threat from the north is greater now than ever before.
Which is why we must come together and pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honors so that our way of life is not destroyed.
And if those two boys are convicted tomorrow, by God, it will be destroyed, and all of us with it.
[CRYING.]
[SNIFFLES.]
[EXCLAIMS.]
[SHRIEKING.]
[SOBBING.]
[BREATHING SHAKILY.]
[SNIFFLES.]
[CRYING.]
[SOBS.]
[WHIMPERS.]
[WAILS.]
[FIRE CRACKLING.]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
If I was a boy I'd know the things a girl shouldn't know I'd go where girls shouldn't go So, oh [SIGHS.]
If I was a boy [JUANITA.]
What's the hold up? I just wish I had something to wear that was worth looking at.
What about this one here? [CAROLYN.]
It's fine, I suppose.
Except I've worn it once already to court.
I'd pack and catch me a train Go out and raise me some Cain [JUANITA.]
They sure dress different up north, don't they? They talk different, too.
What she wears and how she talks is none of your concern.
There is such a lot a girl has gotta cope with There are times I think I expect the press will be after me today, once I testify.
Lord, I wish they'd just leave us alone.
[JUANITA.]
I suppose I don't need to remind you that this ain't another one of your high school beauty pageants.
Roy's life is on the line, and so is J.
W.
's.
For heaven's sake, Juanita, you don't think I know it? [CHILD SCREAMS IN DISTANCE.]
I'll deal with him.
You need to hurry up and get your head on straight.
You got us all into this mess.
It's up to you to get us out.
[PAPER SLAPS.]
[CHATHAM.]
The defense is desperate, Mrs.
Bradley.
I can smell it.
We have kidnapping confessions from both defendants, a great deal of circumstantial evidence, and now, thanks to these new witnesses, we can place Emmett at the plantation where Milam's own brother worked a few hours after his disappearance.
Thank God for Dr.
Howard and his team.
[SIGHS.]
You can bet we did.
Before these witnesses came forward, we had no clue where the crime was committed, only that it was.
And today, I intend to prove that Bryant and Milam killed your son on that very plantation that same morning.
It's gonna be tough for a jury to ignore eye-witness testimony from these farmhands, ma'am.
I'm glad to hear that.
However the fact remains that our only shred of physical evidence Our only proof that a murder occurred Is your son's body.
Which is why they are so determined to deny his identity.
And why we need you to prove to the jury that there was no hoax, and that, as a mother, you would know your son better than anyone.
I understand.
You need me to tell the truth.
And that's exactly what I intend to do.
[CHATHAM.]
The defense will try to cast doubts, of course, but just stick to the facts and you'll do fine.
Now, um, there is one more thing.
We've received a few letters from concerned citizens who haven't taken kindly to the fact that I've referred to you in the press as "Mrs.
Bradley.
" I'm sure you're aware of the Southern custom? I am.
We believe it would not serve us well to risk offending the jury before they've even had a chance to hear you speak.
If you'll permit me, I suggest I stick to the custom during questioning.
You're welcome to call me Mamie.
[CHATHAM.]
Thank you.
And please take care with your responses, too.
They're going to want to hear you say "sir.
" [VENDOR.]
Pop! Get your ice cold soda pop.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
[SMOOCHES.]
Good morning.
Look at you.
Almost didn't recognize you with all that paint on your face.
[VENDOR.]
Soda pop! Ice cold soda pop.
[MILAM.]
Damn, it just gets hotter in this hell hole every day, doesn't it? Son.
Gimme a couple of them cold ones.
Keep 'em coming.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
You straight on what you're saying? Of course, Roy.
[CLANGING.]
[CHATHAM.]
Now, Mandy, I direct your attention to the 28th day of August, 1955.
Did you see Willie Reed that morning? Yes, sir.
He stopped by my house about, uh Well, along 6:30, 7:00.
[CHATHAM.]
And at that time, did you look out towards Mr.
Leslie Milam's house? Y-Yes, sir.
I looked out the window.
[WHISPERING.]
What the hell happened to our chairs? [RUBY WHISPERING.]
Shh! Somebody must have moved them.
- Shh.
- [JUDGE.]
I need order, please.
I understand our audience has grown today, but I cannot allow anyone in those aisles because it poses a fire hazard.
I'm sorry, but if you do not have a seat, you'll have to wait outside.
Better luck next time, boys.
You may proceed.
Now, what did you see when you looked out towards Mr.
Leslie Milam's house, Mandy? I saw a green and white truck out there, and four white men.
They were going in and out the shed, and one went to the well and got a drink of water and then back to the shed.
[CHATHAM.]
Would you recognize that man if you saw him again? [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS.]
Yes.
He was kind of a tall man.
And bald-headed.
[CHATHAM.]
Thank you, Mandy.
[HICKS.]
Three days trying to track those witnesses down, and now we can't even report on what they say? Well, the drug store's been selling folding chairs.
I've seen a few white reporters bringing them in.
And you think they're going to let us get away with that, too? - Never know unless you try.
- Excuse me.
You're a reporter, aren't ya? Trying to be.
[SIGHS.]
What can I do for you? Well, we've been out here hoping to find somebody that could help us.
You see, m You see, my wife, she heard some talk yesterday while she was getting her hair done.
And we thought somebody ought to know about it.
What did you hear? Well, it's about them men folks have been talking about.
The ones that were in the truck the night they got that Chicago boy.
[BIRDS CHIRPING.]
[CHATHAM.]
Willie, as you came up towards Mr.
Leslie Milam's house, did you see anyone there? N-No, sir, not at first.
But there was a green a-and white truck in front of the shed, and it was the same truck I had seen earlier that had passed me by.
Who was in that truck then? Four white men in the cab, um, and three colored men in the back, and I seen somebody sitting down in the bed of the truck A colored boy.
Hmm.
Now, later on, did you recognize a photograph or anything that indicated to you who was sitting down in the bed of that truck? When I looked at the newspaper, um, I seen a photo of a boy.
It was the same one I seen in the back of the truck.
And was that Emmett Till? - Well - We object, Your Honor.
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
Objection is sustained unless it's connected, of course.
Now, I have a picture here that was offered as Exhibit 1.
Have you ever seen this boy before? Yes, sir.
It is a picture of the boy I seen on the back of the truck.
[CHATHAM.]
Now, as you were passing by Mr.
Leslie Milam's place later that morning, was Mr.
J.
W.
Milam there? [WILLIE.]
Yes, sir.
I-I seen him come out of the shed to the well.
Mr.
J.
W.
Milam, the man that is sitting right over there? Yes, sir.
[CHATHAM.]
Will you state whether he had anything unusual on his person? [WILLIE.]
He had a pistol on his belt.
[CHATHAM.]
And what did Mr.
J.
W.
Milam do when you saw him? [WILLIE.]
Well, he, um He just went to the well, got a drink of water, and then and then went back towards the shed.
And after you passed the shed, did you hear or see anything unusual? [CLEARS THROAT.]
I heard somebody hollering from in there, and I heard some licks like Like somebody was whipping somebody.
Thank you.
No further questions.
[BRELAND.]
Willie [CLEARS THROAT.]
when that truck passed by you that morning, did you recognize Mr.
J.
W.
Milam in there? Well, I-I didn't pay too much attention to them in inside the truck.
I-I just looked at the ones in the back.
Then you wouldn't say that Mr.
Milam was inside the truck? No, sir, I wouldn't say that.
No.
Later on, when you passed this shed, how far were you from it? Yeah.
I wasn't too far, sir.
[BRELAND.]
Well, would you say it was, um, 100 yards away? I wouldn't know, sir.
Mm.
Now, this person you testified, uh, was Mr.
Milam, how, uh how far was he from you when you first saw him there? [GULPS.]
Well, I wouldn't say how far, just because I I just wouldn't know, sir.
Then you don't know whether you were 100 yards away, or 200 hundred yards, or 500 hundred yards away from him? No No, sir.
[BRELAND.]
You, uh You stated that you heard something that sounded like licks from inside the shed, but you don't know whether Mr.
Milam was in there or not, do you? But I-I seen Mr.
Milam, uh, when when he left the shed.
But you didn't see him in the shed, did you? [WILLIE.]
Well, no, sir.
But I-I seen him w-when he left the shed and And went to the well, a-and I seen him when he went back towards it.
But you don't know whether the sounds you heard was somebody hammering, trying to fix a wagon, or something like that.
It was somebody whipping somebody.
S-Sir.
[BRELAND SIGHS.]
Um, Your Honor, so, we ask the court to exclude all evidence as offered by this witness and to direct the jury to wholly disregard it, because Roy Bryant has not been identified in any way as being present on the occasion as testified by this witness.
Your Honor, the defendants had the right to be tried separately, but they chose to stand trial together.
The motion will be overruled.
The testimony stands.
You may step down.
The state calls Mamie Bradley next.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[CROWD MURMURING.]
[GAVEL BANGS.]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS.]
- Damn it.
Sold out.
- Listen.
Ain't they got any more chairs in this godforsaken town? You know those missing men I heard about at the dance hall? They were spotted yesterday, about 20 miles up the road in the Charleston jail.
Wait.
Hold on.
We gave their names to Chatham so they could be brought in to testify, and you're telling me they ended up in jail? Charleston jail is in Sheriff Strider's jurisdiction, and we know he's crooked as hell.
What if he's got them hidden away in there so Chatham can't find them? [BOOKER.]
Well, the state wraps up testimony today.
Once they rest, it's over.
We can't introduce more witnesses.
Well, I doubt the folks at the jail would appreciate the likes of us just waltzing in there to ask questions.
Well, then we better find another way to prove it.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS.]
Hi.
Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the jail over in Charleston? What kind of business you got down there? I'm a reporter.
Uh, Dan Wakefield I-I write for The Nation.
Just following up on a tip.
Wondering if there was a a bus or some way to get out there? Tell you what.
We was fixing to head out there ourselves.
Why don't you hitch along with us? Now, Mamie, will you please state for the court and jury whether you were able to identify the body you saw at the funeral home in Chicago? Yes, sir.
I positively identified the body as being that of my son, Emmett Louis Till.
[CHATHAM.]
Please tell the court and the jury how you looked at it and what you did in identifying it.
I looked at the face very carefully.
I looked at the ears and the forehead and the hairline and also the hair.
And I looked at the nose and the lips and his chin.
I just looked at it all over very thoroughly.
And I knew, definitely, that was my boy, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Mamie, when your husband, the father of Emmett Till, was killed overseas, were his effects sent to you? Yes, sir.
They were.
I'd like ask you if in those effects there was a ring? - Yes, sir - Now, Your Honor.
We now object to the testimony of this witness with reference to the effects, or what is purported to be the effects of her dead husband being sent to her, without showing just who, when, and how those effects were sent.
Yes, I believe there would have to be a prior connection to identification of the ring.
Sustained.
Your Honor, we're just trying to identify the ring that the boy had on.
You can proceed a little differently, I believe.
Yes, sir.
Mamie, I will ask you if your son had a ring and frequently wore a ring and if that was sent to you along with the effects of your husband that you got? - Yes, sir.
- We object to that, Your Honor, for the reason that she said the effects were sent to her that were supposed to belong to her dead husband, but it hasn't been shown in evidence anything about the identity of these effects.
The objection is overruled.
[CHATHAM SIGHS.]
I will now hand you this ring, Mamie, with an engraving on it, "May 25, 1943", and the large initials of "L.
T.
", and I will ask you if this ring was sent along with the effects purported to be the effects of your dead husband? Yes, sir.
What was your husband's name? Louis Till.
In other words, his initials were "L.
T.
"? [MAMIE.]
Yes, sir.
And when you got that ring in his effects, what happened to it? Uh, well, I kept the ring in a jewelry box.
Before he left for Mississippi, Emmett looked in this jewelry box to get, um, cuff links, I think it was, and when he looked in the box there, he saw this ring.
And he left Chicago with it, did he? [MAMIE.]
Yes, sir.
And you definitely saw that that was the ring that he left there with? Yes, sir.
And that was the ring that he had on him when he came down here to Mississippi? Yes, sir.
Now, Mamie, I have here some photos taken by the police photographer shortly after the body was removed from the Tallahatchie River.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS.]
Is that a picture of your son, Emmett Till? Yes, sir.
It is.
Thank you, Mamie.
[CRYING.]
Mamie, did you have any life insurance out on Emmett Till? We object, Your Honor.
I'm gonna overrule that.
Did you have any life insurance on him? Yes, sir.
How much insurance did you have? About $400.
[BRELAND.]
And how long had you had these, uh These policies out on him? [MAMIE.]
Almost from his birth.
And to whom were they payable? We object to that, Your Honor.
The objection is overruled.
I was the beneficiary of one of them, and my mother was of the other.
And, uh And have you tried to collect on On those, uh, payments yet? We object to that, Your Honor.
That is highly irrelevant.
The objection is overruled.
Have you contacted the insurance companies about collecting? Yes, sir.
Now, [CLEARS THROAT.]
was, uh, Emmett ever in any trouble up in Chicago? We object to that, Your Honor.
Relevance? [JUDGE SWANGO.]
The objection is sustained.
You said you discussed your son's trip down to Mississippi several times with him before he left Chicago, is that correct? [MAMIE.]
Yes, sir.
[BRELAND.]
And did you caution him how to conduct himself while he was down here in Mississippi before he left? Again relevance? [BRELAND.]
I'll tell you how it's relevant.
I have an exhibit that I want the witness to identify.
Your Honor, I think it's perfectly clear what he is trying to do, and I think counsel should be counseled to stop asking more questions like that.
The objection is sustained.
The court would like to ask the gentlemen of the jury to step into the jury room for a moment, so that we may discuss this further.
[CHAIRS SLIDING.]
[DOOR OPENS.]
[CROWD MURMURING.]
The court will allow the defense counsel to proceed with this line of questioning without the presence of the jury.
If counsel can show that the testimony is indeed relevant, the court will allow the jury to hear it repeated.
You may proceed.
Well, thank you, Your Honor.
[GRUNTS.]
Before he left Chicago, did you caution your son how to conduct himself while in Mississippi? Yes, sir.
Now I have a a paper here where you are quoted.
Listen carefully, it says "I I told him several times before he left for Mississippi that he should kneel on the street and beg forgiveness if he ever insulted a white man or a white woman.
" Now Did you, uh, say that to him? [MAMIE.]
Not those exact words.
Then what did you tell him? Well, I told him he would have to be very careful with how he spoke, to always remember to say "Yes, sir," and "No, ma'am.
" And if ever there was an incident that would arise that might be any trouble of any kind with white people Um, if he bumped into somebody on the street, for example, I told him to go ahead and humble himself.
[BRELAND.]
Did you specifically indicate to him and caution him not to do anything to a white man so as not to bring on any trouble? [MAMIE.]
Yes, sir.
[BRELAND.]
Now, while he was living there in Chicago, had he been doing anything to cause you to give him that special instruction? No, sir.
Emmett has never been in any trouble at any time.
[BRELAND.]
And he had never been in a reform school? [MAMIE.]
No, sir.
[BRELAND.]
And he had never had any trouble in any way with any white people? No, sir.
Now, Your Honor, we submit that the testimony is indeed relevant, and that the witness be permitted to repeat it in the presence of the jury.
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
The prior objections to this portion of the testimony will be sustained, and the testimony will not be permitted before the jury.
No further questions, Your Honor.
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
You may step down.
The state rests.
Your Honor, the defense would like to call its first witness, Sheriff H.
C.
Strider.
[HICKS.]
We think the Sheriff's just trying to keep them from talking, but if you agree to verify your husband's identity, along with Too Tight, we could get authorities to grant you access to the jail and allies to protect you.
You said you were a friend of Too Tight's.
Ma'am, if your husband was a witness to Emmett Till's murder, there are probably a lot of people who want him dead.
Okay, now, the fact that he's still alive means there's still a chance to save him.
[SIGHS.]
Henry is a good guy.
If he was mixed up in anything with that boy, it's because he had no choice.
We know.
That's why we want to make sure that the men who are responsible are held accountable.
[BRELAND.]
As Sheriff of Tallahatchie County, have you taken bodies out of that river during the summer period, with weather like we had here in August? I have.
And what is your opinion, based on your past experience, as to how long that body had been in that river? We object to that, Your Honor.
He is not a doctor, and he is not qualified to testify about that.
He is not qualified as a doctor, but I think he is qualified.
Overruled.
I would say at least 10 days, if not 15.
[BRELAND.]
And when the body was discovered, how long had it been since Emmett Till was reported missing? [STRIDER.]
Three days.
[BRELAND.]
Could you tell whether this was a white person or a colored person? [STRIDER.]
The only way you might able to tell it was a colored person would be the hair, and I have seen white people have kinky hair.
[BRELAND.]
And was this body recognizable to be that of any particular person? Well, if one of my own boys had been missing, I really don't think I could say whether it was my son or not.
Or anyone else's.
I couldn't tell that.
All I could tell it was a human being.
Your witness.
[CHATHAM.]
Mr.
Strider, there was a death certificate prepared for Emmett Till, was there not? That's right.
And I believe that you signed that death certificate, did you not? Yes, sir.
[CHATHAM.]
And this death certificate certified the fact that this body was that of Emmett Till, isn't that correct? No.
I did not certify it was Emmett Till.
I said it was a dead body.
I never seen Emmett Till.
I could not swear it was Emmett Till because I didn't know what he looked like.
Sheriff, have you made any investigation to find out whose body that was? Who that person was? I sure have.
What efforts have you made to find out who that body was? Well, I got reports of a Negro who disappeared over at Lambert.
I went over there, investigated that, and one man'd tell you he saw him, and another man'd tell you that someone told him that they saw him, and then somebody else'd tell you that somebody else knew something about it, and you'd just end up right back where you started.
[CHATHAM.]
But you have no information whatsoever to indicate whose body that was? You have not gotten any information about that? No, I have not.
So she agreed to go to the jail? Mm-hmm.
As long we can get her in safely.
Which is where you come in.
We need you to go to Chatham again.
Get him to authorize a search while there's still time to introduce new witnesses.
The prosecution rested.
They've already moved on to the defense.
[SIGHS.]
Okay, uh We need to try anyway.
The judge can make an exception.
We're talking about two potential eyewitnesses to the actual murder.
We just need someone to bring them in.
I'm sorry that you and your compatriots went to all that trouble, Mr.
Packton, but those men are not in the Charleston jail.
What? How do you know? Because I took it upon myself to have it searched, along with the jail in Sunflower County, right after I received the letter you passed along from Dr.
Howard.
You suspected they were being held? No, but there was mention of two men named Levi Collins and Henry Lee Loggins and that they were missing, so I didn't want to leave any stone unturned.
Both searches, however, came up empty, according to my investigators, and both sheriffs raised hell about it.
But if the men were being held under false names, how can you be sure they weren't there? Loggins' wife should still be allowed to check.
My investigators are thorough, and butting heads with Sheriff Strider again is not going to do my case any good.
Thank you for coming in.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS.]
You know, if this really is the last case of your career, you sure you'll be able to live with yourself, knowing that you might have let the only witnesses to the crime slip right through your fingers? [BRELAND.]
Mrs.
Bryant, I direct your attention to Wednesday night, the 24th of August.
Who was in the store with you that night? [CHATHAM.]
If the court pleases, we object to anything that happened on that evening unless it is connected to the crime in question, which began on Sunday morning, the 28th.
Well, we will connect it.
The court would ask the jury to retire to the jury room for a moment.
[CHAIRS SLIDING, SHUFFLING.]
Now, the court will permit both sides to address the question as to whether or not this testimony will be permissible before the jury.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Your Honor, the state argued that one of the men who came to the home of Mose Wright on August 28th wanted to see the boy who did the talking at Money.
Now, the state raised inferences which the defendants believe they are entitled to explain and to show what happened.
And further, we believe that these occurrences are a part of what the state alleges is one entire transaction The beginning and the inception of the incident.
And as much, the occurrences there on that occasion are a part of the res gestae The circumstances Which relate to the case.
And as such, the defendants should be permitted to offer testimony in that particular.
[CHATHAM.]
Our proof started with the occurrences early Sunday morning, when two or more persons came to Mose Wright's house to get the boy.
We offered no proof of anything prior, and Mrs.
Bryant wasn't brought into this whatsoever.
And I think I can say that her name was never mentioned in this case.
Your Honor, the Supreme Court of Mississippi has many times held that former difficulties between parties cannot be brought in as evidence.
And further, we contend that anything that happened down there is no justification for murder anyway.
Your Honor, I would like to call attention to the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled that an incident may be separated by days, and by weeks even, but if they can be connected as part or partial of a man's transaction, then it doesn't mean that these things must all happen right together.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
Gentlemen, the court is of the opinion that the testimony being offered here pertains to an incident prior to the crime in question.
Therefore, it is not admissible for the jury.
[CROWD MURMURING.]
[MURMURING QUIETS.]
[BRELAND.]
Your Honor, we still would like to develop this testimony for the sake of the record.
The court will allow it, for the sake of the record, not for the jury.
You may proceed.
Mrs.
Bryant, on Wednesday evening, the 24th day of August, 1955, did an incident occur which made an impression on you? Yes.
And just tell the court what happened there at the time, please, ma'am.
This nigger man came in the store and stopped there at the candy case.
[BRELAND.]
Now, when this Negro man came in the store, where were you in the store? [CAROLYN.]
I was farther back in the store, behind the counter.
Now, what transpired up there at the candy counter? I asked him what he wanted.
- And did he tell you? - Yes.
[BRELAND.]
And after you got the merchandise for him, what did you do? [CAROLYN.]
I held out my hand for his money.
And which hand did you hold out? My right hand.
Will you show the court how you held your hand out? And did he give you the money? - No.
- What did he do? He caught my hand.
[CROWD MURMURING.]
[GAVEL BANGS.]
[MURMURING QUIETS.]
[BRELAND.]
Now, will you, uh Will you show the court how he grasped your hand? [CROWD MURMURING.]
And was that a-a strong grip or a light grip he had when he, uh, held your hand? [CAROLYN.]
A strong grip.
[BRELAND.]
Hmm.
How'd you get loose? Well, I-I jerked it loose, like this.
[CROWD MURMURING, GAVEL BANGING.]
Quiet! Quiet! [BRELAND.]
And was it with that much difficulty that you that you got loose? Yes.
[INHALES DEEPLY.]
And just what did he say when he grabbed your hand? He said, "How about a date, baby?" [CROWD MURMURING.]
- Quiet! - [GAVEL BANGING.]
- Quiet! - [CHATHAM.]
Your Honor! Your Honor! [JUDGE SWANGO.]
That is enough.
[GAVEL BANGING.]
That's enough.
[CROWD MURMURING QUIETLY.]
And when you freed yourself, what did you do then? Well, I turned and tried to get to the back of the store, but he came at me and caught me by the register.
Mrs.
Bryant, will you stand up and put my hands just where he grasped you? Will Will you show the court? [SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS.]
[CROWD MURMURING, GAVEL BANGING.]
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
Order! [BRELAND.]
In other words, with his, uh His left arm around your back? A-And his right hand on your hip? [GAVEL BANGS.]
[JUDGE SWANGO.]
Order.
Yes.
Uh-huh.
Um Please.
And did he say anything to you at that time when he grabbed you there? Yes.
He said, "What's the matter, baby? Can't you take it?" [BRELAND.]
He said, "What's the matter, baby? Can't you take it?" [CAROLYN.]
Yes.
And did you then try to free yourself? - Yes.
- And was it difficult? Did you succeed in freeing yourself? [VOICE BREAKING.]
Yes.
And did he say anything further to you at that time? Yes.
He said [SOBS.]
"You needn't be afraid of me.
" And And did he then use, uh, language that you don't use? - Yes.
- Hmm.
And can you tell the court what that word begins with What letter it begins with? Oh, in other words, is it an unprintable word? Yes.
[BRELAND.]
And did he say anything after that one unprintable word? [CAROLYN.]
Yes, he said, well [SOBS.]
"With white women before.
" [CROWD MURMURING.]
[BRELAND.]
Something to the effect that he had been with white women before? [CAROLYN.]
Yes.
[BRELAND.]
And after you, uh, freed yourself from him, what did you do then? [CAROLYN.]
Well, this other nigger came in and grabbed him by the arm and told him to "come on," and, "let's go.
" [BRELAND.]
Did he go, uh, willingly or unwillingly? Unwillingly.
And did he say anything further to you after he had said these obscene remarks? [CAROLYN.]
Yes.
He turned and said, "Goodbye.
" [BRELAND.]
And what did you do then? [CAROLYN.]
I ran out the door to go to the car.
[BRELAND.]
Which car? Mrs.
Milam's.
[BRELAND.]
And what did you go to the car for? To get the pistol.
- [CROWD.]
That's right! - Yeah! [GAVEL BANGS.]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
[GAVEL BANGS.]
[CLEARS THROAT.]
As you went through the door and went to the car, did you see this man again? [CAROLYN.]
Yes.
[BRELAND.]
And did he say or do anything at that time? [WEAKLY.]
He whistled.
[BRELAND.]
Can you make a sound something like the whistle he made there? Hmm? Well, was it something like this? [WOLF WHISTLES.]
[CROWD GROANS.]
[CAROLYN.]
Yes.
[BRELAND.]
After you got your pistol, Mrs.
Bryant, where was this boy then? Or I should say Where was this man? [CAROLYN.]
When I turned around, he was getting in a car down the road.
[BRELAND.]
Mrs.
Bryant what sort of impression did this occurrence make on you? I was just scared to death.
Your Honor, we submit that the testimony's relevant to remove from the minds of the jury the impression that nothing but talk had occurred in Money.
It remains the opinion of this court that the evidence is not admissible.
- Therefore - [CROWD MURMURING.]
I will have order! Therefore, the jury will not hear this testimony.
[CROWD MURMURING.]
[GAVEL BANGING.]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
That's enough.
[MAMIE.]
How dare that woman! How dare she swear on a Holy Bible to tell the truth, only to to spout horrific lies about a child! A child that she knows is dead because of her! A child they strategically referred to as a "man".
Those lawyers never even showed her a picture of Bo.
[DR.
HOWARD.]
That was deliberate.
On one hand, Bryant and Milam claim they let him go because it wasn't the boy from the store.
On the other hand, the wife says it was, so he deserved what he got.
It doesn't make sense.
None of it does.
Every word of it was a lie! And And the whistling, on top of everything else! My My son would never whistle at a white woman.
I taught him better.
At least the judge kept the jury from hearing those theatrics.
The only reason he would whistle is because of his stutter.
I taught him to do that if he got stuck on a word.
So even if he did whistle, he wouldn't have been whistling at her.
Sweetheart, what difference does it make? It still doesn't justify what they did to him.
I tried so hard to say the right things in there and to act the right way.
None of it even mattered, did it? Nothing I said could have changed a thing, because they were never going to listen.
And I was a fool to hope that they would.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
Whiskey neat, please.
Double.
[LIQUID POURING.]
[GLASS TAPS.]
[MAN.]
Then he chased her down, grabbed her right around the waist, and he surely would have done much worse, too, if she'd not had the courage to fight back.
Thank God she did.
The next girl might not be so lucky, though.
The fact of the matter is that the threat from the north is greater now than ever before.
Which is why we must come together and pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honors so that our way of life is not destroyed.
And if those two boys are convicted tomorrow, by God, it will be destroyed, and all of us with it.
[CRYING.]
[SNIFFLES.]
[EXCLAIMS.]
[SHRIEKING.]
[SOBBING.]
[BREATHING SHAKILY.]
[SNIFFLES.]
[CRYING.]
[SOBS.]
[WHIMPERS.]
[WAILS.]
[FIRE CRACKLING.]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]