Tom Robinson Trial Essay

Tom Robinson was accused for raping a young women named Mayella Ewell on May 18. Mayella Ewell is the oldest of 8 sibling in her family, she is motherless and takes care of the smaller children while she works around her father’s house. The whole court house was filled with white families sitting on the bottom rows of cowhide-bottomed chairs while the blacks had to stay in the balcony. The trial started with Mr. Heck Tate in the witness stand, on the left of him was Judge Taylor. Mr. Tate described Mayella's injuries to the solicitor, Mr. Gilmer “Well I was called by Mr. Bob Ewell yonder, it was the night of November twenty-first. I was just leaving my office to go home when Mr. Ewell came in, very excited he was, and said get out to his
Robert Ewell went to the witness stand but was disgruntled whenever a question was asked that he couldn't understand. Mr. Ewell described the night that Tom Robinson allegedly raped Mayella; “The night of November twenty-one I was comin’ in from the woods with a load o’kindlin and just as I got to the fence I heard Mayella screamin’ like a struck hog inside the house.” He goes on to say that he ran all the way home and he saw that “black Nigger” on his daughter. This caused excitement among the crowd of both colored and whites. Mr. Ewell went on to say that the room Mayella was rapped in looked like a reck, and after he saw Tom he ran to the house but was too late to catch him. He then explained that his next move was to run down and get the sheriff because he knew it was Tom Robinson. Mr. Finch asked if during all this running he was doing if he ran to go get a doctor, Mr. Ewell said no. The last questions for Mr. Ewell were very eye-opening questions asked by Mr. Finch. He first asked if Mr. Ewell agreed with everything the sheriff had said, after bewilderment from Mr. Ewell, he agreed with Sheriff Tate's testimony. Next, Mr. Finch asked Mr. Ewell if he could read and write his name, he said yes, and then Atticus asked him to show the Jury. After he proved he could write his name, Judge Taylor said“You’re left handed, Mr. Ewell”After this he sat down next to Mr.
When she started to tell her story to the Jury she broke out in tears, but finished her story soon after. Her story was that she told Tom to come from the road to come help her “bust up a chiffarobe.” after he was done he came with her to get the nickel and then started to rape and beat her. Mr Finch asked her many questions of her home life, siblings, school, and father. When asked if her father beats her she paused for a minute and the said never. He asked if she remembered Tom hitting specifically her in the face, she paused even longer and then said that she turned around and saw Tom as he started to choke her. Atticus asked if Tom hit her after Tom choked her and she confirmed this all. She said she screamed and kicked and tried to escape. This triggered Mr. Finch, to again ask if she was screaming this whole time and she said “I certainly was.” “Then why didnt the other children hear you? Where were they?” This caused Mayella to stay silent, Mr. finch continued to ask identical questions until he sat down. Mayella replied not to long later with a insignificant incongruous