Evening journal., 1900-07-14
LONG LOST SON
ALIVE and WE'LL
After Many Days of Silence L.
CaVeRder Writes Home
Former Wilmington Young Man I
in the KlOndike and Doing
Fairly Well

The Philadelphia Evening Telegram
Of yesterday says: Search the
city over and you will find
no happier man to-day than
Joseph l.. Cavender a well-known and
successful dealer in Western and South
ern lands, whose Office is at No. 931
Chestnut street and who lives at Fif-
teenth street and Columbia avenue.
For more than two years Mr.. Cav
ender has mOurned over the loss of his
eldest son, Levin. who was supposed
to have died some time within tnat
period. To-day, however. Mr. Caven-
der received a letter from his boy. noe
only assuring his father of his present
well-being, but promising a more de-
tailed statement of his wanderings and
his present business prospects at an
early day.
The Cavender family is one Of tho
most prominent in Delaware. and 10
within the past two years Joseph l..
Cayender. his wife. daughter, and two
sons lived in Wilmington. where Mr..
Lavender was a successful business
man.
In October. 1897 Levin Cavender,
chen young man twenty-three years
old, announced to his parents his inten-
tion Of going South to seek his for
tune, and a few days later took his
departure. He was a car builder by
trade, and anticipated no difficulty in
securing notonly remunerative employ.
ment, but opportunities to advance his
prospects materially.
He fire went to North Carolina, anC
for time his letters home were full o
lconfidence and his prospects of success
He wrcte regularly to his mother unit
March of 1898. when suddenly all com
munications from him ceased. Afte
his silence had been maintained 10
some weeks, his parents made every ef
fort to learn his whereabouts, but with
out success. Then his mother becam
i'll. and in the course of a few month
ldied. Upon her death Mr. Cavende
made even more determined efforts {
gain some information concerning IN
whereabouts OF his wandering son, bu
lall proved futile. and gradually the con
viction forced itself upon the father
mind that the boy had died amon
strangers and had been buried far ava.
from home. .
Imagine, therefore, his JOY and sur
prise when, early in June last, he re
ceived a letter, the superscription upoi
which was in the never-forgotten hand
writing of his long-absent son.
II was addressed to Mrs. Joseph
Lavender. Wilmington. Del. and ha
been forwarded to Mr.. Cavenders ad
dress in this city. It was only a brie
note, telling his mother, of whose deatl
he had never heard, that he was stil
in the land of the living. and that h
was doing fairly we'll in the KlondikC
the region of the gold-hunter's dreams
This morning Mr. Cayender receive
a second missive from his boy. Lik
the one written to his mother, it wa
brief, but from its general tone MI
, Cavender is led to believe that Levin
+ search for a golden treasure has bee
attended by a fair need of success.
was dated at Dawson City, and state
that the writer has been on a prospect
ing tour through the gold regions, bu
is now contemplating an early visit t
his parents and the home of his child
p. hood days. The writer also says h
!. was writing a detailed statement of hi
f adventures and experiences during IN
- past two years. which he promises {
e mail his father within a few days, an
n that missive is probably on its wa
d East at the present time.
@ Mr.. Cavender stated this mOrnin
that he had written to his son. tellin