The night before the trial, a mob went to the maycomb jail in order to hang Tom Robinson. They probably would have succeeded if Atticus Finch and his children hadn't been there. Atticus was reading at the entrance of the jail when four cars pulled up and men came out. Then Atticus's children, who had been following him, ran up to him. Atticus and his daughter, Scout, argued with the mob for a while until the mob left.