Evening star., 1950-01-05
Mrs. Hiss Completes
Long Ordeal on Stand
Al Husbands Trial
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NOnllnueo from First Page.)
expostulated. 81 don't know what
do when I'm typing. I don't
know how to describe It."
Had Typing Manuals.
MIR. Murphy asked If it was no,
a fact that in 1887 and 1888, waer
the alleged espionage occurred
Mrs. Hiss had typing manuals ir
her house.
That's right" she said. ~
tried to learn some of the COM
binations, like the for instance
but that's about as far as got.
Mrs. Hiss was unable to say
how long it took her to type vari.
ous letters Of hers, which have
been introduced in evidence ir
the trial. II have no idea. what
my speed of typing isl she said
The Government contends, ano
the defense does not deny, that
the secret documents in ques-
tion were copied on an old Wood
stock typewriter which belonged
to the Kisses during the 1s30s
Mrs. Hiss recalls. however, that
she gave this machine to a
Georgetown family of colored ser
wants in December, 1887.
Documents Date From 1888.
Most of the documents in the
case date from February and
March, 1898.
Under questioning by Mr.
Murphy. Mrs. Hiss admitted today
she had been unable to remember
giving the typewriter to the
Catlett family until the Catletts
themselves said they had re-
ceived it.
Mrs. Hiss now contends that
she gave the Woodstock to the
Catletts when the Kisses moved
from their house at 1245 Thirtieth
street NV. to one at 3415 Volta
place NV. This move occurred
on December 20, 1887.
Mr.. Murphy brought out, how
ever, that when Mrs. Hiss testified
before the grand jury in Deem
Der, 1948, she said she thought she
could visualize the Woodstock in
the Volta place house, and added
that 1t was possible she and Mr..
Hiss had it until some time in the
194os.
Wanted to Get Rid of Machine.
Mr.. Murphy asked whether, now
that her memory had been re-
freshed, she could picture herself
handing the machine over to the
Catletts. She said she could not,
but knew that she had done so.
What was the reason that you
gave the typewriter away?" Mr..
Murphy asked.
Because I wanted to get rid
Of it,
WAS there some memory at
tached to it that you wanted to
divorce yourself from?"
Certainly not"
The duel of wits between the
prosecutor and Mrs. Hiss had
courtroom observers wondering
how the jury of eight women and
four men assessed the dramatic
contest.
Clearly, one way or the other,
their Judgment of Mrs. HISS will
have an important effect on the
verdict In her husbands trial. No
testimony produced in the Foley
Square courtroom has more fully
absorbed their attention.
- Murphy Bore Down.
You watch the sober faces Of
these middle-aged, substantial
people. And you wonder. Mr..
Murphy was bearing down hard,
and he scored some telling points.
Is this what impressed the jury?
Or did the small. gray-haired 4e-
year-old witness gain their SYM
pathy-their perhaps subconscious
support in her fight to clear her
husbands name?
In your wondering. you are in
good company. Mr.. Murphy prob
ably wonders too. At. Mr.. Hiss
first trial. which ended with a
hung jury last July 8, he was gen.
tie with Mrs. Hiss. Nothing in
the jurors faces indicated their
reaction to his change of tactics.
Tense and tight-lipped-very
pale-Mrs. Hiss held her ground
yesterday as she battled the giant
prosecutor over some Of the
toughest ground OF the case. She
had some bad moments, but she
maintained her poise.
Much of the testimony had little
bearing on the technical issue Of
the trial-whether her husband
lied to a Federal grand jury In
December, 1948, when he denied
he ever gave secret State Depart
ment papers to Mr.. Chambers,
and swore he had not seen Mr..
Chambers after 1896.
All Of 1t. however, bore heavily
on a critical question before the
jury-the credibility of Mr.. and
Mrs. Hiss, who say they knew
MIR. Chambers only casually as a
free-lance writer named George
Crosby"
Questioned on Hospital Course.
Mr.. Murphy put his finger on
q matter lying close to the quick
Of the second half of the indict-
ment-dealing with the 1886 cut
off date in the Hiss Chambers
relationship-when he asked Mrs.
Hiss about her intention in 1887
to take a training course in med
ical technology at Mercy Hos
pital, Baltimore.
Mrs. Hiss never took such q
course. But in May. 1897, she