To Kill A Mockingbird VS Scottsboro Boys
...w his witnesses respect by formally addressing them by their proper name, not just their first name. The witnesses of Liebowitz’s were of course dark colored so this tested the whites. The Scottsboro Boy’s lawyer had also proven that semen from any of the boys was not found. He demonstrated that one of the prosecution witnesses was a prostitute. She was found to have Jack Tiller’s dead semen, instead of any of the defendants. This proved that the Scottsboro Boys didn’t commit this crime as the girls were examined two hours after the implied gang rape, while sperm lives from twelve to forty-eight hours after intercourse. 2 More evidence appeared for the defendants when Ory Dobbins came to the stand. Ory Dobbins was the only eyewitness of the supposed crime. He had said he saw the boys pull the two girls onto the train. When questioned on how he knew this he said because he saw them pull two people up onto the train that were wearing women’s clothing, dresses. Little did Mr. Dobbins know that it was already established that the girls were wearing overalls that day, not dresses. 3 Lester Carter a friend of Bates and Price was one of the defense's most effective witnesses. Carter, (who Price had denied knowing until the day of the alleged crime), stated that he had indeed met Bates, Price, and Price’s boyfriend Jack Tiller in a Huntsville hobo jungle, (which Price had also denied ever visiting), the night before he would travel with the two girls to Chattanooga. He informed the jury that in the hobo jungle he and Bates had sexual intercourse, while Jack and Prince had sexual intercourse. 4 While Carter had nearly proved that the defendants were innocent, Ruby Bates had stolen the show. Bates said that there was no rape, and that none of the defendants had even touched or talked to her. She additionally said that Prince had told her "to frame up a story". 5 Even after all this surmounting evidence the defendants were found guilty in 1933, in less than five minutes. Judge Horton didn’t believe in this verdict and he immediately announced a new trial, but to no surprise, he lost re-election. In the two following trials the boys were found guilty. 6 In 1935, Liebowitz had returned to court and argued that blacks should be allowed on juries, and he won his argument. The trial following still convicted the boys of rape, but this time it was 75 years in jail rather than a death sentence. This was the first time in Alabama history a black man convicted of raping a white woman was not sentenced to death. In 1937 the final trial of the Scottsboro Boys was held. Four were found innocent, one was excused due to brain damage from abuse at prison, and four were found guilty. Eventually, through paroles or escapes, all of the Scottsboro Boys left Alabama. Like Tom’s Robinson’s trial in To Kill a Mockingbird, most people figured the boys were automatically guilty because they were Negroes. 7 In To Kill a Mockingbird’s trial of Tom Robinson there was indisputable evidence that the defendant was innocent but he was still convicted. Tom Robinson’s trail was more of a holiday for the people of Maycomb. They knew no matter what amount of evidence would be brought forth, he was still going to be found guilty. Aunt Alexandra and Atticus even showed remorse because they didn’t want their children attending the trial; they knew the children would see how cruel the people of Maycomb really were. The Negroes were confined to a certain area of the courthouse during the trial; they had to sit in the colored balcony. It was obvious that with this frame of mind, the people of Maycomb would inevitably convict Tom Robinson even when all the evidence presented, suggested otherwise. The first witness to the stand, Mr. Tate, stated that even though Mayella had been badly beaten, no doctor had been called. He also indicated that her right eye had been bruised, but by whom? Mr. Ewell, the next witness to the stand, was proven to be left handed, possibly meaning he had beaten his own daughter. It would have been next to impossible for Tom Robinson to have beaten her as his left arm was shriveled and was clearly of no use. When Tom Robinson took the stand in his own defense, he appealed as an honest and hard working Negro. In Tom’s story Mayella used to regularly ask him to do minor chores for her, which he would gladly do. On the day in question she asked him to repair a hinge of the door. Tom discovered however, that the door was just fine. According to Tom, Mayella tricked him so she could lavish him with her affectio...