Scout turns the crowd away by addressing Mr. Cunningham directly and speaking about his son, Walter. She connects with him through his son and speaks about what a good person Walter is...she continues to speak about how Atticus has helped them (the Cunninghams) and how Atticus always talks about how important it is to help others and to be good people. This effects Mr. Cunningham because it makes him consider the reasons they are there at the jail. He rethinks those reasons and "calls off the dogs" so to speak. He addresses the mob and tells them to go home, while telling Scout that he will definitely tell Walter she said, "hello".
Go back and read this part of the chapter to see if you can pick up on how the tension melts away in this scene and what Scout says. She does this more to ease her own discomfort than to change the mood of the crowd, but Atticus understands how it is effecting the men so he allows her to continue talking.
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