TKAM Newsletter

8/2/2019 TKAM Newsletter

1/6

Issue 123 November 22, 193

The Maycomb

By ErinWillingham andVinathi Prasad

Since 1900

Tom Robinsons Tria

Tom Robinsons Attorney, Atticus FinchI have nothing but pity in my heart for the chief

witness of the state, but my pity does not extend

as far as to putting a mans life at stake, which

[Mayella Ewell] has done in an effort to get rid of

her own guilt.

In this Issue:

Page 1

Page 4

Page 3

Page 5

Tom Robinsons Trial:

Should he have been

charged guilty?Tom Robinsons

Attempted

Escape

Rabies Prevention

Tom Robinson Judge Taylor Mayella Ewell

The trial began with the testimony of Sheriff Heck Tate. According to him, Bob Ewell

(Mayellas father) called him in claiming that a black man had raped his daughter, therewas no doctor summoned, and Mayella was bruised on the right side of her face.

On November 21 of last year, Tom Robinson

allegedly raped Mayella Ewell. Defending Ewell wasMr. Gilmer and defending Robinson was Mr. Atticus

Finch. People came from all over Maycomb County

to witness history being made. White people were

able to sit downstairs where they could get a view.

The Colored folk occupied the seats upstairs, all

there to see whether this trial would be the end of

their struggle for integration.

The Results of theBaptist vs.Methodists FootballGame


2/6

lorem ipsum dolor issue, da

night, and he heard Mayella screaming fit to beat Jesus. Bob looked through the window

in which he was able to get a clear view of Tom Robinson raping Mayella. During Mr.

Finchs cross-examination, Bob Ewell confirmed everything that Sheriff Tate said was true.

Then, Mr. Finch asked Bob if he would write his name, thus proving he was left handed

and was fit to leave bruises on the right side of someones face.

After her father, Mayella Ewell testified. She claimed that on the night she was

raped, she asked Tom Robinson, who was passing by, to bust up a chiffarobe for a nickel.

Tom accepted, and followed her into her house, where he supposedly took advantage of

her. During Atticuss cross-examination, Mayella claimed she was being mocked and gavecontradicting evidence. Atticus asked her if she in fact had been beaten, but Toms left

hand could not have hit her because it was injured so badly when he was young. He had

no feeling in his left hand and therefore could not have beaten Mayella on the right side of

her face.

Finally Tom Robinson was called. First, he was asked if he had been acquainted with

Mayella, which, according to him, he had and had been coming over very often to do little

work that she always had for him to do. But on that night, he was summoned to bust up

a chiffarobe for her, so he followed her into the house. Then the next thing he knew,

Mayella had grabbed him around the legs and Tom used a chair to defend himself. Bob

Ewell cussed at Mayella through the window, so Tom ran away.

Next, it was Mr. Gilmers turn to cross-examine Tom Robinson. He had asked Tom

why he had come to help Mayella in the first place. Tom replied, Yes, sir. I felt right sorry

for her, she seemed to try more than the rest of [her family]. This implied that he felt

superior to a white woman. Mr. Gilmer reviewed Mayellas version of the story for many

questions after that, while Tom denied it and said Mayella was mixed up in her mind.

Most definitely, Atticus Finchs closing speech was the highlight of the trial. Hismain points were that there was no medical evidence to prove Mayella was raped in the


3/6


left hand. In his speech, he mentioned that society today revolves around the stereotypes

that all black men are immoral beings who cannot be trusted among our women. He

ended with the words: I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the

evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In

the name of God, do your duty. In the name of God, believe him.

It took two hours for the jury to come to a verdict, but at eleven o clock, the jury

came through the doors with the verdictguilty. Then it was over. The white section on

the lower level of the court had left when Atticus Finch passed through the double doors.

However, the whole black community stood up as he passed (seen on the right), showingrespect for Atticus as he had tried to win a case for a black man.

Do you believe Tom should have been charged

guilty? We would like to know! Write to us at

3541 Mockingbird Lane

Maycomb, Alabama 86282

Sports: The Baptist vs. Methodist FootbalGameThe Methodists played the Baptists in a friendly football game. It seemed like everyoneshowed up, even the children and elderly who came to cheer on the players. Although theMethodists put up a good fight, the Baptists brought home the gold.


4/6


ObituariesBob Ewell- Police found Bob Ewell lying deaunder a tree on Halloween night. He had a

kitchen knife stuck up under his ribs. Policesuspect his death was an accident. He trippedon the root of a tree and stabbed himself as hefell.

Henry Lafayette Dubose- Ms. Dubosehad an addiction to morphine that her doctorprescribed to her as a painkiller. Because sheknew her days were numbered, she quit thedrug right before her death so she could, die

beholden to nobody and no one, said ananonymous source.

Tom Robinson- After his trial, TomRobinson was caught trying to escape from theprison in which he was held as he awaited hisnext trial. He was shot seventeen times in theback as he ran towards the fence.

Tom Robinson (right)

and attorney AtticusFinch at the trialwhich caused the


5/6


Local House Fire

The home of Miss

Maudie Atkinson

perished in flames this

week. Thankfully, the

local firefighters were

able to put it out

before it spread and

Miss Maudie made it

out fine. When asked

her thoughts on the

cause of the fire, Miss

Maudie stated,

Probably the flu in the

kitchen. I kept a fire in

there last night for my

potted plants. Plant-

lover Maudie isnt too

grief stricken however,

and says shes excited

to begin building

herself a new house.

Its a blessing really.

No one was hurt, and it

gives me a chance to

start over with a new

home. And a newyard.

Rabies

Prevention

Maycomb received an

unexpected and

unwelcome visitor

when an old dog came

ambling into town. The

dog, known as Tim

Johnson, was infected

with rabies. Luckily, he

was dispatched with

the help of local

attorney Atticus Finch

before he could do any

harm. Next time

however, we might not

be as lucky. It isimportant to learn how

to effectively protect

oneself from this

horrible disease.

One doesnt show signs

of having rabies until

one to three months

after being bitten, andthen it is just a

headache or fever.

Once other signs

develop that make it

clear that one does

have rabies, they may

die within a few days to

a few weeks. Some of

these symptoms are

confusion, insomnia,

paralysis,

hallucinations, fear of

water, increased

salivation, and anxiety.

A vaccine is available,

so it would be wise to

get yourself

vaccinated. If you have

any pets, you can get

them vaccinated as

well.

In summary:

1. Get yourself and

pets vaccinated.

2. Do not go near

unfamiliar or wild

animals.

3. If you are bitten, see

a doctor immediately.

Maycombs First

Snow

Earlier this month,

Maycomb County

experienced its first

snow. It was a thin

layer, but nonetheless

snow that children

enjoyed themselves in

eremy (Jem) and Jean

Louise (Scout) Finch,

both children of the

attorney Atticus Finch

invented a way to

make themselves a

snowman even with

the limited amount of

snow. I filled five

laundry hampers with


6/6

TKAM Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of TKAM Newsletter