Language would fail to express my feelings; the intense and deep anxiety I felt about them for weeks before I heard of their capture in Indiana, and then it seemed too much to bear.  O! my heart almost bleeds when I think of it.  The hopes of the dear family all blasted by the wretched blood-hounds in human shape.  And poor Seth, after all his toil, and dangerous, shrewd and wise management, and almost unheard of adventures, the many narrow and almost miraculous escapes.  Then to be given up to Indianians, to these fiendish tyrants, to be sacrificed.  O!  Shame, Shame!!

My heart aches, 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