keep black voters from turning out. that helped set the stage for a violent confrontation as demonstrators began to gather here at the courthouse in downtown newton on the day that became known as bloody saturday. i saw some whites coming out of the hardware store with axe handles, and they approached us and started beating us with the axe handles. they beat us down to the ground. my aunt josie, she s a little petite woman, she fell on she put her body over his and was hollering at them to stop beating charles sherrod because they were going to kill him. reporter: that didn t stop charles sherrod from driving on the back roads to meet every black american family.