The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-06
YACHT owner
EvADES PROBE
IN DRY DEATH
Detroit Man Fails to Show
Up for Quiz on Fatal
River Fight.
FATHER HEADS SEARCH
Parent of Sieuth Thought
Drowned Doubts Story
of Wealthy Man.
BIZ United Press

BIZ United Press
DETROIT, Aug. 6.-While gov-
eminent agents continued their in
vestigation of the reported drown
ing of Federal Prohibition Agent
Richard Sundland, following a scuf-
f1e with John M. Heath, Detroit
elevator engineer, on the deck Of
Heath's yacht, Maxine, Heath failed
tc appear before customs officials to
give his explanation of tl-= events
preceding the struggle.
The high light of the days in
vestigation came when United
States District Attorney John R.
Watkins announced that he had
evidence to show that Heath had
been connected with liquor snug
Cling. Watkins intimated that it was
in a non-commercial capacity.
Davis j. Sundland, father of the
missing man, arrived here today to
assist in the search, convinced that
his son had been slain.
The father said he doubted the
stories told by Heath and his wife
that the younger Sundland failed
to identify himself after boarding
their cruiser.
Father Heads Search
The elder Sundland, who is a
special agent of the treasury DEPART
,,oo,ot hos IoanY, oecio,,od form q IlNg
to the investigation and planned to
interrogate river men who claimed
to have seen the Maxine leave the
scene of the seizure without lights,
III contradiction to marine regula-
tons.
Sundland, a former New York dry
agent, disappeared early Saturday
shortly after he and an another off,
Ger attempted to seize the Maxine,
a cabin cruiser owned by Heath.
Late Monday, while widespread
search was being conducted for the
missing agent, Max Finkleston, at
torney for Heath, notified this dis
trict attorneys Office here that
Heath and Sundland fell into the
river after struggle which &C
CURED when the agent, without
identifying himself, attempted to
arrest Heath and his wife Maxine.
Heath, through his attorney, de-
clared that he swan back to his
cabin cruiser and never saw Sund-
land again but believed he had got
! ten safely to shore.
Conflicts With Reports
Heath's story as told by his at
torney conflicts with the report of
Walter S. Petty, acting collector Of
customs. Petty's report was that
while customs border patrol in
spector Milton Larsen, Sundland's
partner, went to telephone the patrol
base for instructions, Sundland
boarded the Maxine and was spir-
tied away in the craft Petty's re-
port was based on afhdavits given
by two fishermen who said they saw
what transpired after the two
officers halted the Maxine to in
vestigate an alleged violation Of the
navigation laws.
Heath blamed Sunland's conduct
for the trouble which precipitated
| the struggle. He said he and his
wife we're returning from a visit in
Canada and as they crossed the in
ternational boundary line about
1890 a. NJ, a border patrol cruiser
came alongside to search their
craft for liquor.
without showing a badge, Agent
Sunland, according to Heath, en-
tered the cabin where Mrs. Heath
had retired for the night. When she
asked him to leave the cabin until
she got some clothes on, he refused.
Wrapping a quilt around herself she
withdrew to another room until
Sunland had satisfied himself there
| was no 1idIIm- on hoard