Evening star., 1948-08-27
By Miriom Ottenbero

BY Miriom Gutenberg
The House Committee on Un-
American Activities today sent
an investigator to Westminster,
Md. to run down what commit
tee members described as new
information" Of another possible
link between Alger Hiss and
Whitaker Chambers.
The information concerns a "di-
lapidated and remote farmhouse"
rear Westminster, on which Mr..
Hiss repeatedly made down pay
ments and which ultimately was
purchased by Jay Chambers"
Mr.. Chambers has told the commit
tee that his full name is Jay David
Whitaker Chambers.
The committee has been informed
that the Hiss contract was dated
April l3, 1896, and the Chambers
contract March Il, 1887
Information Is New.
Before sending Investigator Don
Appel to Westminster to check with
the real eSate firm involved in the
reported transaction, representative
Nixon, Republican, of California
told reporters:
This is new information to the
committee. We are going to run it
down and see if it is another link
lE the chain of evidence. If it is
not pure coincidence, it shows the
two men were much closely con-
nected than was at first Indicated"
Representative Mundt, Repub-
hcan, of South Dakota said if the
new information proves correct it
will throw even greater doubt" on
Mr.. Hiss story that he never knew
Mr.. Chambers under his right
name.
Name Use Stressed.
The importance of this evidence,
Mr.. Mundt said, lies in the fact that
it shows Mr.. Chambers was usins
his real name in Communist
circles at the time he and Mr.. Hiss
have agreed they knew each other.
Mr., Hiss has firmly denied Mr..
Chambers accusation that he was
active in prewar Communist
underground. Mr.. Hiss has con-
tended he knew Mr.. Chambers only
as a free-lance writer going under
the name of George Crosley.
Mr.. Chambers has repeatedly de-
MED the Crosley appellation, and
has said that in his relationship
with Mr.. Hiss he used his party
name of Carl" and that Mr.. Hiss
knew that Carl" and Chambers
were the same person.
Mr.. Mundt said that If the infor-
nation he received today proves
accurate in all details. 1T tends to
throw even greater doubt on the
Hiss statement that the man with
whom he was so closely associated
In so many ways and that the COM
mittee knows as Whitaker Cham
bers was in fact ever known to Hiss
by the name of George Crosby"
Status Held Established.
Mr.. Mundt contended that the
man in question Chambers lis
now established by correspondence
as the man doing business and be-
ing generally recognized at that
time as Whitaker Chambers"
Mr.. Mundt said that sit stretches
credulity a long way" to believe that
a man who lived under one name
in Baltimore would live under an
other name in Washington among
his close friends.
Information about the farmhouse
was submitted to the committee by
the Baltimore News-Post, which to-
day published photostatic copies of
sale agreements signed by Alger and
Priscilla Hiss and Esther Chambers
per Jay Chambers" A representa-
tive of the newspaper conferred
here this week with Mr.. Mundt.
The NeWs-Post said it had OBJ
tanned copies of the contract from
Edward w. Case, Westminster
real estate dealer, along with a
May %, 1896. letter signed by Mr..
Hiss saying he was no longer in
terested in the Shirley place"
Owner Died.
The owner Of the place, the Post
News said, died after the first sale
contract and a question arose about
the validity of the deal. The estate
asked more than the $3.50 which
Mr.. Hiss repeatedly agreed to paw
and Mr. Hiss said he wished to
terminate negotiations.
The News-Post said Mrs. Hiss first
wrote to Westminster on November
5. 1885, inquiring about real estate
ad in Baltimore newspaper.
Mr.. Case told the News-Post ht
got letter from u. w. Chambers
on February 3, 1886, asking if HI
had a small piece of rural property
for between 5000 and $3.50. Tht
letter gave no address for Mr.. Cham.
bers but asked that reply be SEN
to a New York attorney
About the same time, Mr.. Cas-,
said. Mr.. Hiss paid $40 down and or
April 13 paid another $100
On February 27. 1887, Mr. Cas-,
had a letter from Mr.. Chamber
saying he was coming to look a
some properties. A man showed W
on March II and was escorted tt
the Shirley place by Mr.. Case ane
Calvin Zepp, an antique dealer. HI
made $40 deposit.
Dealer Calls Matter "Odd."
"It was one of the oldest deals
I've ever had" the News-Post
quoted Mr.. Case.
"The house was run down. II
was five miles of paved road.
yet. here were two important
men, both apparently anxious tc
buy It."
Efforts to reach Mr.. Hiss for COM
nent about the reported farmhouse
(see PROBE, Page A-40