The sun., 1900-07-14
SON M0gRKED
AS DEAD IS ALIVE
IN THE kLOND|KE
After Years of Silence Levin
Cayender Writes to His
Father From Gold Fields.
Is NOW IN DAWSON CITY
T.. Cavender, Formerly a
Real Estate Man Here, Now i'm
Philadelphia, Receives
Letter Telling Him
Good News.
srecial to The sun.


Philadelphia, July l3.-The happiest
man in this city today is former Will
mingtonian, Joseph L. Cavender, we'll
known and successful dealer in Western
and Southern lands, whose office is at
No. 93l Chestnut street and who lives at
Fifteenth street and Columbia avenue.
For more than two years Mr.. Caven-
der has mourned over the loss of his eld-
est son, Levin, who was supposed to
have died some time within that period.
Today, however, Mr.. Cavender received
a letter from bis boy, not only assuring
his father Of his present we'll being, but
promising more detailed statement Of
his wanderings and his present business
prospects at an early day.
The Cavender family is one of the most
prominent in Delaware, and to within
the past two years Joseph l.. Cavender,
his wife, daughter, and two sons lived in
Wilmington, where Mr.. Cavender was a
successful business man.
In October, 1897, Levin Calender,
then young man twenty-three years
old, announced to his parents his inten-
tion of going South to seek his fortune,
and few days later took his departure.
He was a car builder by trade, and an
ticipated no difficulty in securing not
only remunerative employment, but
opportunities to advance his prospects
materially.
He fret went to North Carolina, and
for time his letters home were full OF
confidence and his prospects OF success.
He wrote regularly to his mother until
March OF 1898, when suddenly all COM
| munications from him ceased. After his
silence had been maintained for some
weeks, his parents made every effort to
learn his whereabouts, but without sue
cess. Then his mother became ill, and in
the course of few months died. Upon
her death Mr.. Cavender made even more
determined efforts to gain some informa'
tion concerning the whereabout OF his
wandering son, but all proved futile, and
gradually the conviction forced itselt
upon the fathers mind that the boy had
died among strangers and had been
buried far away from home.
Imagine, therefore, his Joy and sur.
prise when, early in June last, he re-
ceived letter. the superscription upon
which was in the never-forgotten hand
writing of his long g-absent son.
It. was addressed to Mrs. Joseph L.
Cavender Wilmington, Del, and had
been forwarded to Mr.. Cavender's ad
dress in this city. 1t was only briei
note, telling his mother, OF whose death
he had never heard, that he was still in
the land OF the living, and that he was
doing fairly we'll in the ,Klondike, the
region of the gold hunters dreams.
This morning Mr. Cavender received q
second missive from his boy. Like the
one written to his mother, it was brief,
but from it's general tone Mr.. Cavendel
is led to believe that Levin's search fol
a golden treasure has been attended by q
| fair need of success. II was dated at
Dawson City, and states that the writer
has been ON prospecting tour through
the gold regions, but is now contemplate
ing an early visit to his parents and the
home of his childhood's days. The
writer also says he was writing detail
ed statement OF his adventures and ex.
periences during the past two years,
which he promises to mail his father
within few days, and that missive is
probably on it's way East at the present
time. -------.-------
| Mr.. Cavender stated this morning that
he had written to his son, telling him
of his mothers death, Immediately after
receiving his first letter in June, but
that lie had evidently not yet received
that letter, as no alusion was made to il
in the one that reached Mr.. Cavendei
this morning Mr.. Cavender also states
that since his son left home his mother
sister, grandfather and three uncles have
| died,