Sunday July 8, 1934



In Front of the Jail Sunday Night

Hey, my name is Jem Finch and I’m about to tell you about what has to be one of the scariest moments of my life.  It’s about one week into my summer holidays and up to now they have been pretty darn good.  My friend Dill came down to Alabama to visit for the summer (actually he more ran away) so it started off just like normal.  After tonight however, everything has changed.  So were just sitting there eating supper yesterday and we get this knock on the door.  I was finished so I got up to answer it; it was the sheriff.  At this point I’m wondering what I could’ve done to get the sheriff on me – a policeman at the door is never a good sign, right?  Anyways, that’s when I notice the crowd of men behind him and he goes and asks me if Atticus – my father – is home.  So I call Atticus and slide back into the house, but of course I’m not going to go too far from the door; after all, that kind of mob surely means that something big is up.  Sure enough, once I’m outa sight the sheriff starts going on about how “…the venues been changed…” and how they’re “movin’ him to the county jail.”  I guess they’re talking about this guy Tom Robinson.  He’s a Negro that Atticus is defending in court later tomorrow.  All of a sudden the crowd starts getting aggressive, starts questioning Atticus’ decision to defend Tom, telling him that he’s a fool.  Now, I’m not going to just let them tear him apart out there so I call to Atticus that the phones ringing and that seems to give the crowd a little start.  Crisis averted, although I really started to get scared near the end there despite Atticus’ assurance that the Klan’s gone and the folks of Maycomb wouldn’t try to start anything.  So then tonight Atticus is like “I’m going out for a while” and you just know something’s up, especially when he takes the car just downtown when he always walks.  Again, I’m starting to get a really bad feeling about this so I figure I’ll just nip downtown for a while and see what he’s up too.  Just as I’m about to leave my sister bursts into the room, sees what I’m doing and is like “I’m coming too!”  She can be so whiny sometimes but I didn’t really have much choice, she was threatening to throw a fit if I left her.  Soon after, two became three when she in insisted Dill accompany us.  Anyways, we get downtown and there’s Atticus reading the newspaper in front of the jail.  So he looks okay and I figure we can go home now, but just then these 4 cars pull up and this group of men confronts him.  Scout decides to go running out to him – what in God’s name is she thinking?  I try to stop her but somehow she thinks she can help him, and what do you know she actually gets the mob to break up.  She’s off her rocker but somehow it worked – I still can’t believe it.  So we start walking to the car and Atticus is talking to me.  Now, first of all I’m thinking that I’m in for it for sneaking out but no, Atticus seems to understand.  Second, I hate to admit it but I was really scared by this point – I mean two confrontations with a mob in two days is never a good omen, right?  The one today really looked like they meant business too – if Scout hadn’t intervened there could have been some serious trouble.  But no, Atticus seems perfectly confident in his situation; he spent the entire walk reassuring me that it’s all going to be okay.  I don’t know if I believe him though. I mean, Atticus is all we have; I couldn’t bear to lose him.  So I’m not sure now, Atticus seems fine but recent events have really got me worried.  I’m really starting to get scared.