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