In Chapter 17, Sheriff Tate takes the witness stand to testify in the Tom Robinson trial. Mr. Gilmer questions Tate as to what happened on the night of November 21st. Sheriff Tate testifies that Bob Ewell called him and said that Mayella was assaulted and raped by a black man. Tate goes on to say that when he arrived, he found Mayella lying on the floor with bruises covering her face. Mayella then told Tate that Tom Robinson beat and raped her, and Sheriff Tate drove to Tom's house to arrest him. When Atticus cross-examines Tate, he asks why the Sheriff did not call a doctor. Tate testifies that there was no need to call a doctor even though she was "mighty banged up." A doctor would have determined that Mayella Ewell was not raped after examining her, which would have proved that the Ewells were lying. When Atticus asks Tate to describe Mayella's injuries, he mentions that she had bruises on her arms as well as a swollen black eye. Atticus then asks Sheriff Tate which eye was bruised, and he says it was her left eye. Tate then retracts his statement after realizing that it was Mayella's right eye that was bruised. Tate also comments that Mayella had more bruises to the right side of her body and testifies that she had finger marks around her entire throat.
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