ches, my eyes fill with tears, I cannot write more. I
cannot dwell longer on this painful subject now. If you get any
intelligence, please inform me. Friend N.R. Johnston, who took
so much interest in them, and saw them just before they were
taken, has just returned to the city. He is a minister of the
Covenanter order. He is truly a lovely man, and his heart is
full of the milk of humanity; one of our best Anti-Slavery
spirits. I spent last evening with him. He related the whole
story to me as he had it from friend Concklin and the mother and
children, and then the story of their capture. We wept together.
He found thy letter when he got here.

He said he would write the whole history to thee in a few days,
as far as he could. He can tell it much better than I can.

Concklin left his carpet sack and clothes here with me, except a
shirt or two he took with him. What shall I do with them? For if
we do not hear from him soon, we must conclude that he is lost,
and the report of his escape all a hoax.

Truly thy friend,

LEVI COFFIN.

Stunning and discouraging as this horrible ending was to all concerned,
and serious as the matter looked in the eyes of Peter's friends with
regard to Peter's family, he could not for a moment abandon the idea of
rescuing them from the jaws of the destroyer. But most formidable
difficulties stood in the way of opening correspondence with reliable
persons in Alabama. Indeed it seemed impossible to find a merchant,
lawyer, doctor, planter or minister, who was not too completely
interlinked with slavery to be relied upon to manage a negotiation of
this nature. Whilst waiting and hoping for something favorable to turn
up, the subjoined letter from the owner of Peter's family was received
and is here inserted precisely as it was written, spelled and
punctuated--

McKIERNON'S LETTER.

SOUTH FLORENCE ALA 6 Augest 1851

Mr WILLIAM STILL _No 31 North Fifth street Philadelphia_

Sir a few days sinc mr Lewis Tharenton of Tuscumbia Ala shewed
me a letter dated 6 June 51 from Cincinnati signd samuel Lewis
in behalf of a Negro man by the name of peter Gist who informed
the writer of the Letter that you ware his brother and wished an
answer to be directed to you as he peter would be in
philadelphi. the object of the letter was to purchis from me 4
Negros that is peters wife & 3 ch