Mississippi Museum Displays Gun Linked to Emmett Till’s Murder

JACKSON, Miss. — Seventy years after the murder of Emmett Till, a Black teenager who was lynched in Mississippi, the state has acquired the gun believed to be used in his killing. The .45-caliber pistol, along with a leather holster marked with the initials ‘J.M.’, will be displayed at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.

Emmett Till, just 14 years old when he was killed in 1955, was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was abducted for allegedly whistling at a white woman. His brutal murder prompted national outrage and became a catalyst for the civil rights movement. The case remains emblematic of racial violence in America.

Nan Prince, director of collections at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, commented on the gravity of the artifact: ‘It’s a hard item to see. I’ve been in this field for a long time, and I’ve never had an artifact affect me quite like this,’ she said, noting the hatred tied to the use of the weapon.

Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till and the last living witness to his kidnapping, reflected on the impact of Till’s death: ‘It’s an ugly story. It’s not pretty. We need to tell the story,’ he stated. Parker emphasized the importance of remembering the past, especially amid current discussions about how history is taught in schools.

The gun had been locked away in a safety deposit box for decades, owned by a family who has chosen to remain anonymous. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History confirmed that the gun was authenticated through its serial number, matching records from a reopened FBI investigation into Till’s case in the early 2000s.

Michael Morris, director of the Two Mississippi Museums, noted that the exhibition aims to put the full story of Till’s murder on display, saying, ‘This weapon just allows us to tell a fuller story about what happened to him.’ He emphasized that understanding the truths of Mississippi’s past is crucial as the state continues to grapple with its history.

The museum’s ongoing mission reinforces the importance of confronting and acknowledging the painful chapters of the past, ensuring that newer generations learn from the events that shaped civil rights in America.

Deborah Watts, Till’s cousin and co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, expressed the family’s complex feelings about the gun’s display, saying, ‘We still seek justice,’ while acknowledging the gun’s educational significance. ‘It’s important for current and future generations to grasp the importance of resisting erasure of historical facts.’