In May, Jon went back to ETS to take examinations and complete other requirements, and in July he returned to Alabama, where he helped to produce a listing of local, state, and federal agencies and other resources legally available to persons in need of assistance. On Friday 13 August Jon and others went to the town of Fort Deposit to join in picketing three local businesses. On Saturday they were arrested and held in the county jail in Hayneville for six days until they were bailed out. (They had agreed that none would accept bail until there was bail money for all.)

After their release on Friday 20 August, four of them undertook to enter a local shop, and were met at the door by a man with a shotgun who told them to leave or be shot. After a brief confrontation, he aimed the gun at a young girl in the party, and Jon pushed her out of the way and took the blast of the shotgun himself. (Whether he stepped between her and the shotgun is not clear.) He was killed instantly.

[For the complete article see: http://satucket.com/lectionary/Jonathan_Daniels.htm]

Ruby Sales was that teenage girl. Some of you know her, since she lives here in DC ands worships from time to time here at St. Thomas. Here is how she once described the events of that day in a conversation with Vincent Harding

They let us out of jail, and there was no one there to meet us. It was one of those hot, southern, sticky days when you can look down and see little waves coming up from the pavement.

We were hot. We were thirsty. There was a little store on the corner, a store that we had gone in many times. So someone decided that Jonathan Daniels, Father Morisroe, Joyce Bailey, and myself should go and get the sodas for the group. We started over to get the sodas, and for a moment we hesitated, but we continued and got to the door, and there was Tom Coleman, standing there with a shotgun, threatening, first of all, "Bitch, I'll blow your brains out," because I was in front and Jonathan was behind me. Things happened so fast. The next thing I know, there was a pull and I fell back. The next thing, there was a shotgun blast and then another shotgun blast, and I heard Father Morisroe moaning for water. And I thought to myself, this is what dead is. I'm dead.

....Well, it rendered me mute. I did not speak significantly for seven months. I could not speak.