Aug 28, 09:49 PM

Mississippi Museum Displays Gun Used in Emmett Till Lynching

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History on 28 August unveiled the .45-caliber pistol used in the 1955 killing of 14-year-old Emmett Till, placing the weapon and its holster on public view at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson. The debut coincided with the 70th anniversary of Till’s abduction and murder, a watershed event that helped galvanise the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. The pistol belonged to John William “J.W.” Milam, who, together with Roy Bryant, kidnapped Till from his great-uncle’s home near Money, Mississippi, after the Black teenager was accused of whistling at a white woman. Till was tortured, shot and thrown into the Tallahatchie River; an all-white jury later acquitted both men. Serial-number records in FBI files were used to authenticate the weapon. According to state officials, the gun was donated by a Mississippi Delta family that requested anonymity. It will anchor a permanent Emmett Till exhibit that also includes photographs, court documents and oral-history recordings. Museum director Michael Morris said the display is intended to prompt reflection on how Till’s story continues to shape discussions of race and justice. “His legacy is the way he still inspires people to be the change they want to see,” Morris told reporters at the unveiling.