Before dawn Oct. 26, 1960, police dogs roused a then-31-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. awake in a DeKalb County Jail cell. Sherriff’s deputies yelled for him to get up, handcuffed and manacled him by flashlight, and shoved him into the back of a police car. They ignored his pleas for an explanation.
It was 4 a.m. when they drove into the night on a desolate country road. He had no idea if he would live to see the sun rise.
