The Escape Attempt of Tom Robinson

Tom Robinson made a fatal escape attempt from prison, The Maycomb Tribune has learned. He was trying to escape the inevitabitility of dying anyways, and was shot seventeen times. Tom was in prison for the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, and his defense lawyer was preparing to negotiate a deal and prove Tom's innocence. Tom was close to being a free man and gave up on it altogether, because he no longer wanted our white community to make decisions for him. The deceased left behind a wife and three children. The death seemed a surprise to many, considering his young age of only 25. Mayella Ewell, the victim of the alleged rape, will probably have many more events haunting her than just the trial now that he is dead. We wish Tom's family the best, and hope that they can recover from this tragic event.

More Information On The Trial of Tom Robinson

   There is now more information regarding the trial of Tom Robinson, who has been accused of rape by Ms. Mayella Ewell.

Mr. Heck Tate's Testimony

  According to Mr. Tate, he was leaving his office when Mr. Ewell came in and said a Negro raped his daughter. He then got in his car and went to Mr. Ewell's house. According to the testimony, when he got there, Mayella was badly beaten. When he asked who did it, she said it was Tom Robinson. He then drove to Tom's house, and Mayella identified him as the rapist. 

At the trial, it was pointed out by Atticus Finch, the defense attorney for Tom Robinson, that no one had called the doctor after noticing her injuries. The injuries were all over her-there were bruises on her arm, a black eye coming out of her right eye, and more injuries on the back of her neck. Mr. Finch also pointed out that Tom Robinson could not have given her a black eye out of her right eye because he would have had to use his left hand, which is completely non-functional due to an accident with a cotton gin. Although this was brought to the attention of the jury, it was still decided that Tom Robinson was guilty. 

Bob Ewell's Testimony

According to Mr. Ewell, he was coming in from the woods before sundown, but when he got to the fence he heard Mayella screaming. He ran up to the window and allegedly saw Tom raping Mayella. From the looks of the room it seemed that a fight had occurred there, so Mr. Ewell ran inside. Mr. Ewell then went straight to Mr. Tate. He also stated that he has asked the county for fifteen years to clear the county of Negroes and said that they are dangerous to live around. He completely agreed with Mr. Tate's description of Mayella's injuries, and confirmed them. 

Miss Maudie's Recipe Corner

  It's Wednesday and you know what that means-it's time for Miss Maudie's recipe corner! For today's recipe corner, we'll be focusing on baked goods.

The first recipe is for Crackling Bread, which is an amazing treat.
Ingredients:
Crackling Bread

• 1 1/2 c. cracklings or crisp bacon, chopped

• 1 1/2 cups white cornmeal

• 3 tbsp flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 2 cup buttermilk

• 1 egg, beaten 

Preheat oven to 450° and grease a heavy oven-proof skillet (cast iron works great). Or preheat to 350° and grease 12 count muffin tin, but do not preheat the tin. Sift together dry ingredients and then mix in cracklings. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add buttermilk and egg. If batter seems to thick, you can add a bit of water.  Pour into a hot, greased skillet. Bake in 450 degree oven (or 375 degrees for muffins) for about 25 minutes or until light brown.

                                                                     Southern Style Biscuits

The next recipe is for some basic, delicious southern style biscuits!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp. butter, melted (or use regular milk and omit using baking soda)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda; cut in shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until the dough leaves the side of the bowl and rounds up into a ball. (If dough is dry, stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons additional buttermilk.) Turn until there is a lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 times, or until smooth. 

Roll or pat dough 3/4 inch thick; cut with 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place on cookie sheet (about 1 inch apart for crusty sides, touching for soft sides). Brush tops with melted butter. Bake until golden brown 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately remove the biscuits from the cookie sheet. This recipes makes 6 large biscuits. Serve warm with butter and honey, and it will taste delicious!

That's all for Miss Maudie's Recipe Corner, but don't worry-there will be another one next week!

The Trial of Tom Robinson

The Trial of Tom Robinson: Will He Be Declared Guilty?

      The current trial with news that is sweeping the town is the trial of Tom Robinson, a young twenty-five year old black man who has been accused of rape by 19 year old Mayella Ewell, a young white woman and the eldest daughter of Bob Ewell. Word around town is that Tom Robinson, who is married with three children, stopped to help Ms. Mayella Ewell, who offered him a nickel to bust up a chiffarobe for her. She allegedly went inside the house to get him the nickel, and then turned around and he 'was on her'. Ms. Ewell alleges that he got her around the neck and was cussing while she fought and hollered, while also alleging that he hit her again and again. On the other hand, Tom Robinson has a conflicting side of the story. He testifies that he always passed the Ewell house on the way to work, and Mayella had often asked him to do chores for her. He alleges that on the evening in question, she had asked him to come inside and fix the door, and when he got inside, there was nothing wrong with it. He then asked where the other children were, and Mayella said she had saved up some money and sent the kids to get ice cream. She asked him to lift a box down from a dresser. When Tom climbed on a chair, she grabbed his legs, making him jump down. She then hugged him around the waist and asked him to kiss her. Her father appeared at the window as she struggled, calling her a whore and threatening to kill her, leading Tom to flee. Tom Robinson's white employer, Link Deas, declared that in his eight years of work, he has never had any trouble from Tom.

    One of the main questions that has been asked frequently is why did Tom Robinson, a married father of three children, stop to help Ms. Ewell, whose siblings could have easily helped her? According to Tom Robinson, he felt sorry for the young Ms. Ewell, which is why he decided to help her, This statement brings up yet another question: why would a black man feel sorry for a white woman? If anything, Ms. Ewell should feel sorry for Tom, and not vice versa. At the trial, there weren't many colored people, with Reverend Sykes being one of the only ones. The defense lawyer of Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, is now considered a nigger-lover by most. Mr. Finch's children, Jean Louise and Jeremy Finch, were spotted sitting with the colored folks at the trial, as was their colored caretaker, Calpurnia.

   Mr. Ewell has completely denied Tom Robinson's allegations, claiming that Tom had raped Mayella and he was trying to save his daughter from him. Mayella has made her testimony, which is very powerful and extremely truthful, and the jury has made their decision-Tom Robinson has been declared guilty in the trial for the rape of 19 year old Mayella Ewell.