. . . LET US GO BACK TO THE TRAIN STATION FOR A MOMENT -  AND THE TRAIN WHICH IS TO CARRY EMMETT LOUIS TILL ( 1941 - 1955 / ETC ) INTO THE DEEP SOUTH ( ACCORDING TO A MEMBER OF MY FAMILY - THE TRAIN STATION WAS LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF 63TH & STONEY ISLAND ) JUST ABOUT A BLOCK & ONE HALF - FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL THAT I WAS ATTENDING ( WAS A 9TH GRADER ) AT THE TIME ( HIGH PARK HIGH SCHOOL / 1961 ) THIS LOCATION WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION - AS WE WERE ON OUR WAY HOME . . . BUT - ACCORDING TO MY RESEARCH ( AUGUST 1955 ) THE TRAIN STATION IN QUESTION - WAS LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF ( 63TH & WOODLAWN ) AT ANY RATE - DEAR READERS ( THE MOTHER & HER SON - BOTH PROPHESIED ) THE REASON THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO THE ( 63TH STREET TRAIN STATION ) WAS BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT GOING TO GET TO THE TRAIN STATION DOWNTOWN ( IN THE LOOP ) IN TIME TO LEAVE CHICAGO - WITH THE OTHER TRAVELERS - SO THIS LITTLE FAMILY MADE A BEELINE STRAIGHT TO THE NEAREST TRAIN STATION - AVAILABLE TO THEM - WHERE EMMETT WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO CATCH THE TRAIN - THAT WAS GOING TO TAKE HIM & HIS PEERS ( DEEMED AS HIS KINDRED & HIS TREVELING COMPARSIONS / ETC ) FOR A VISIT TO MONEY MISSISSIPPI ( UNCLE MOSES HAD ALREADY GONE ON - AHEAD OF THE YOUNGSTERS ) FOR HIS FIRST TRIP AS A YOUNG ADULT ( AGE: 14YRS OLD ) AT THIS AGE - YOUNGSTERS ARE ALWAYS OVER COME WITH EXCITEMENT - IN THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE TREVELING ALONE ( BUT - THEY HAD COME FROM WONDERFUL FAMILY BACKGROUNDS / AND - THEY WERE WELL RAISED & COULD BE TRUSTED / THEIR BEHAVIOR WAS ABOVE REPROACH - RESPECTIVELY / ETC ) AND THE MAIN THING IS THUS - HIS MOTHER WAS AT PEACE WITH HER SON GOING ON THIS TRIP - ALONG WITH HIS FAMILY MEMBERS - AND IN SIXTEEN HOURS - THEY ALL WERE GOING TO BE TURNED OVER TO RESPONSIBLE ADULTS ( WHICH IS THE WAY THINGS WERE HANDLED IN THE OLD SOUTH ) THEREFORE - MRS TILL FELT GOOD ABOUT THIS TRIP ( THE PROPHET: EMMETT LOUIS TILL ) ONCE THEY HAD ARRIVED AT THE TRAIN STATION - HIS MOTHER PARKS THE FAMILYS VEHICLE & THEY GET OUT - THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOME WALKING AT THIS POINT - IN ORDER TO GET TO THE STAIRCASE - THAT CARRIES TRAIN PASSENGERS UPWARD & BRING THEM DOWNWARD - THE STAIRCASE IS DESIGNED WITH A PLATFORM ( MIDWAY UPWARDS ) AND SO - AFTER A FEW STEPS ON THIS PLATFORM - PASSENGERS WILL BE TAKING THE SECOND STAIRCASE - UPWARD - AND THEN AROUND THE CORNER WHERE OTHER PASSENGERS ARE GATHERING TO BOARD THE TRAIN ( NOW - LETS GO BACK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRCASE ) IN HIS ZEAL & WITH A GUT FULL OF EXCITEMENT - FULLY WORKED UP ABOUT GETTING TO THE BOARDING STATION ( EMMETT BOUNDS UP THE FIRST STAIRCASE & MAKES IT TO THE PLATFORM ) - ( AS THOUGH HE HAS FORGOTTEN SOMETHING ) HE TURNS AROUND & BOUNDS BACK DOWN - AGAIN ( HIS MOTHER SEES HIM COMING ) WHEN HE REACHES HER - HE TAKES HIS WATCH OF OF HIS WAIST & GIVES IT TO HER ( AINT GOING TO NEED THIS ) HE TELLS HER - BUT HE KEEPS HIS FATHER RING ON HIS FINGER - HE HAD GOTTEN OLD ENOUGH & HAD GOTTEN BIG ENOUGH TO WEAR IT - WITHOUT HAVING TO UTILIZE TAPE ( IT WAS A FAMILY HEIRLOOM ) AND IT IS A GOOD THING THAT HE DID . . . ONCE HE GIVES HIS MOTHER HIS WATCH - EMMETT BOUNDS BACK UP THE STAIRCASE - AND JUST ABOUT THE TIME THAT HE REACHES THE PLATFORM - MID WAY - HIS MOTHER CALLS OUT HIM ( THE PROPHETESS: MRS MAMIE TILL ) - ( "BO" ) THIS CALL MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE LOUD & MADE WITH AFFECTION - FOR IT CAUGHT HER SONS ATTENTION IMMEDIATEDLY & CAUSES HIM TO TURN & FACE HER DOWN THERE ( YOU DID NOT HUG ME ( SAID HIS MOTHER ) WE MIGHT NOT EVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN ) THIS PHRASE IS OFTEN USED BY PEOPLE OF COLOR & UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES ( BACK DOWN THE STAIRCASE EMMETT GOES - ONCE MORE ) SINCE THEY BOTH - WERE IN DIRE NEED OF AFFECTION & REASSURANCE & AT A TIME LIKE THIS ( THE TWO HUGGS EACH OTHER ) AND SINCE TIME WAS NIGH & OF THE ESSENCE - BACK UP THE STAIRCASE HE GOES - AS HIS MOTHER LOOKS UPWARDS  AT HER SON ( FOR WHAT WAS GOING TO BE THE LAST TIME ) AS HE DISAPPEARS AROUND THE CORNER & IN THE DIRECTION OF THE BOARDING STATION . . . WHILE WAITING TO EXHALE - SHE MAKES AN ABOUT TURN & GOES IN THE DIRECTION OF HER AUTOMOBILE - SHE IS CONFIDENT THAT HER SON - WILL CATCH UP WITH HIS TRAVELING COMPANSIONS & THEY WOULD SOON BE ON THEIR WAY - FOR FAMILY MEMBERS DOWN SOUTH - WERE WAITING TO EXHALE AS WELL - FOR IT HAD BEEN SEVERAL YEARS - SINCE THEY HAD SEEN EMMETT - EMMETT WAS COMING WITH THE GROUP - AMONG THEM WAS A COUSIN ( WHEELER PARKER ) THIS FAMILY OF COUSINS WOULD BE ARRIVING IN MONEY MISSISSIPPI - IN ABOUT SIXTEEN HOURS . . . THE TIMESPAN OF SOUTHERN VISITS - WERE CUSTOMERILY TWO WEEKS & MRS MAMIE TILL ( AT LONG LAST ) WAS GOING TO HAVE SOME MUCH NEEDED TIME TO HERSELF - SHE WAS EVEN THINKING ABOUT DRIVING TO DETROIT - IN A FEW DAYS - BUT HER SELF IMPOSED VACATION TIME WAS TO BE SHORT LIVED . . .

. . . WHEN THIS ABDUCTION & MURDER TOOK PLACE ( IN FACT - HAD JUST HAD A BIRTHDAY ) ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE ( YOURS TRULY / AUGUST 12 1945 / ETC ) AND MY GRANDFATHER HAD ALMOST TWO YEARS MORE TO LIVE ( MR JOHN "UNCLE BUDDY" WASHINGTON / 1879 - 1957 / ETC ) AS FORMER MEMBERS OF OUR VARIOUS COMMUNITIES - SPENT TIME BRINGING THE GORE DETAILS HOME - TO ARKANSAS COUNTY ( ALONG WITH MAGAZINES: EBONY & JET / ETC ) ASSURING ONE & ALL - THAT THINGS WERE ALIVE & WELL - FOR JUST THE STATE LINE ALONE - SEPARATED US FROM MISSISSIPPI - ITSELF - WITH THE WORLD BY NOW - BEING UP IN ARMS OVER A MURDER & THE CONDITION OF THE BODY - BEING SHOWN IN THE WINDY CITY & AT ONE OF ITS LOCAL FUNERAL HOMES . . .

. . . WALKED WITH DETERMINATION ( FOR HIS WORD WAS HIS BOND ) HE HAD DECIDED TO LEAVE HIS COMMUNITY IN TIME - TO ARRIVE AT A FAR AWAY DESTINATION - SOMETIMES THE NEXT DAY ( WILLIE REED / 1937 -   / ETC ) AFTER HAVING LEFT HIS COMMUNITY - NIGHT CATCHES HIM ON A LONG WINNING STRETCH OF CRUD ROADWAY ( WHICH IS SURE TO BE A SUITABLE MEANS OF TRAVEL - TODAY ) AND THERE - HE BORE WITNESS TO HOURS OF ACTIVITES ( A TRUCK CARRYING MEN / BOTH WHITE MEN & BLACK MEN / BOTH - IN THE CAB & IN THE TRUCK BED / ETC ) AND SINCE HE WAS WALKING ALONG THIS ROADWAY & MINDING HIS BUSINESS ( SEE NO EVIL / HEAR NO EVIL / SPEAK NO EVIL ) & ( DO NO EVIL ) ALL OF THESE DRIVINGS - BACKWARDS & FORWARDS WOULD NOT MEAN A THING TO HIM - UNTIL LATER ON . . .