Bob Ewell’s threats are worrisome to everyone except Atticus. Atticus tells Jem and Scout that because he
made Ewell look like a fool, Ewell needed to get revenge. Now that Ewell has gotten that vengefulness out of
his system, Atticus expects no more trouble. Aunt Alexandra and the children remain worried. Meanwhile,
Tom Robinson has been sent to another prison seventy miles away while his appeal winds through the court
system. Atticus feels that his client has a good chance of being pardoned. When Scout asks what will happen
if Tom loses, Atticus replies that Tom will go to the electric chair, as rape is a capital offense in Alabama.
Jem and Atticus discuss the justice of executing men for rape. The subject then turns to jury trials and to
how all twelve men could have convicted Tom. Atticus tells Jem that in an Alabama court of law, a white
man’s word always beats a black man’s, and that they were lucky to have the jury out so long. In fact, one man