You read this in a book?
What exactly did this book say?
Remember to:
"Please cite page numbers and the name of the book."
"Get your quotes from first hand sources not second hand."
Everything I've found says Timothy was beaten to death by a pagan mob.
The first mistake John has made is that only one or two people here have tried to discourage him from street preaching; not "so many." Where he misunderstands this is that people have asked him about his "follow up," his fulfillment of the great commission to make disciples, not just preach the Word.
Take Timothy, for example (and this is John's second mistake: comparing himself to Timothy): Timothy wasn't "just" a street preacher. Timothy was a pastor, responsible for a flock (or, at least, that's my understanding of Paul's epistles to Timothy; someone feel free to correct me). Timothy didn't just preach; he fulfilled the commission. He preached; he ministered to his flock; he
discipled. Ultimately, when he saw the pagans blatantly parading their idols in front of the citizens, he was moved to call out their error, assumably to protect those he was discipling.
I, along with others, am exceedingly glad that John is out preaching. It's not my gift, and not my calling. But then, he's apparently a mouth; whereas I'm more of an arm or a hand. Neither can accomplish the work of God without the other, so neither are more worthy than the other.