To Kill A Mockingbird Summary of Chapter 19
by Harper Lee

After the recess, Tom takes the stand. According to his testimony, he had been on the Ewell's property many times, helping Mayella with different chores. The evening of the accused crime, he said that she asked him in the house to fix a door. While his back was turned, she wrapped herself around him. He shook her free and she tried to kiss him. Bob Ewell saw them from the outside and called his daughter a whore. Tom testifies that he was very afraid of what would happen to him and so he ran. Link Deas, Tom's employer for many years, suddenly stand up in the courtroom and says that Tom Robinson has never been a problem for him and has never done anyone harm, which causes a stir in the courtroom.

When the prosecution questions Tom, they ask him about his previous conviction for disorderly conduct. He had been in a fight with a man and spent a month in jail for it. The prosecution also asks Tom about why he was always helping out Mayella and what his motives were. Dill finds the prosecutors attitude to Tom so upsetting that he and Scout leave the courtroom.