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.