Saturday, August 12, 2006

Stoddard Online

Stoddard Online: Continued from part eight. . . .

July 28, 1953 dawned as another disappointing day for Captain Alphonse Matte. Reflecting on the past evenings coroners private inquest of the three American hunters, it became abundantly clear to Captain Matte that for a case of murder to be built around Wilbert Coffin, it would require work, a lot of it, by a lot of people. He was determined. Wilbert Coffin was the last known person at the time to have seen the Americans alive, therefore, according to Captain Matte, Mr. Coffin was his man.

Little emphasis was placed on the findings of Dr. Lionel Rioux, the local area coroner. If the coroner had any doubts as to Wilbert Coffin's explanation in the beginning, those doubts were erased as the inquest proceeded with Mr. Coffin's recollection of events concerning himself and the American hunters. The coroner had made no recommendation whatsoever that would implicate Mr. Coffin as the guilty party. The same views were shared by Sgt. Henri Doyon of the Quebec Provincial Police. Captain Matte chose to ignore the findings completely, and proceeded to build a case in an agressive accelerated fashion. Simply put, no back woods coroner was going to stand in the way of Captain Alphonse Matte. Afterall, he had the town wound around his little finger. Wilbert Coffin was now a doomed man.

With the inquest now over, and Wilbert Coffin having answered the questions of the coroner, he now proceeded back to his camp in the forest to continue his prospecting work. This would anger Captain Matte. Here was his man, the inquest over, and nothing to hold him on, heading out of town. In his mind he would change that, and very quickly at that.

Captain Matte now concentrated his efforts on Wilbert's trip to Montreal. He was determined to have the route retraced, even if it meant visiting every nook and cranny on the journey. He also knew something else. He knew that in order to cement a foolproof case of murder against Wilbert Coffin, he would need a confession.

It is important to reflect here for a moment. One has to understand a very demonstrated fact with reference to this case. The bottom line was simply this, not only must the justice department of Quebec convict in this case to earn credibility drom The United States, they must also execute as a means of driving home the message that United States citizens are taken seriously when spending money in Quebec.

There is room to argue, in this case, Wilbert Coffin, who had no financial means or resources to fight back was to be the sacrificial lamb. This would become abundantly evident as the case progressed, and more importantly, in this instance, the planned execution of Wilbert Coffin was very much on the horizon


There are those who will argue that I am sensationalizing. If that is true, how do we account for the fact that a picture of Wilbert Coffin was found in Captain Matte's office. That alone perhaps, could be considered insignificant. It takes on new meaning however, when we learn that a pen had been used to draw a noose around Wilbert Coffin's neck in the picture, with the caption underneath stating, "our next hanging." The picture was then prominently displayed on his office wall.

Truly, Captain Alphonse Matte was obsessed with thoughts of the eventual execution, and perhaps, the Captain may have been enamored with the thoughts of the booty that would surely come his way for delivering his quarry to the gallows. Do not be too quick to condemn me here if you are thinking that I have an overactive imagination, because a bit later in the story, you will see that great things did happen for Captain Matte, compliments of Premier Maurice Duplessis.

Without doubt, in my view, this case is now beginning to exhibit all those qualities and characteristics that would prove consistent with someone driven to succeed in their determination to hang someone, anyone, and in this case Wilbert Coffin, as a means of supporting personal whims and desires, in an attempt to quench the thirst of an insatiable demented mind and administration.

One cannot truthfully say, this is merely an example of justice gone wild or bad. That is because, in order for justice to go wild or bad, you would first have to have a display of justice in the first place. That is the one key element that has plagued this case from the onset. It lacked a sense of justice, and thus, it was void of credibility.


The date was now August 05, 1953. Captain Matte is getting edgy. He has his man that he has selected as the guilty party. He is minus one key element. That key element is evidence. He simply has none. A meeting is convened with his coherts. Captain Matte discusses arresting Wilbert Coffin as a material witness. Bring him in, shake him down, get a confession. That is the way it works, right? It might work like that in the movies, but in this case, I urge you to read on.

The next day, August 06, 1953 Captain Alphonse Matte instructed his right hand man, Sgt. Jean-Charles VanHoutte to go to Wilbert's camp in the bush on the pretense of Wilbert accompaning him to town to make a voluntary statement. As in every other instance, Wilbert was most cooperative and agreed to accompany the sergeant. Little did Wilbert Coffin know, other than his short two hour taste of freedom when he would escape two years later, this would prove to be the last time that he would ever walk a free man.

Lew Stoddard
Posted to site August 18, 2006


In a few days, the next posting will cover Wilbert's journey through the so called system of bush league justice. It is necessary to stop here, because the section from his arrest up to the trial is really a section all to it's own, and will detail cruelty, manipulation, deceit, and a whole host of other factors necessary to bring a case against Wilbert Coffin. When you read in the next post of the conduct of the upcoming public inquest, I am certain, you will be convinced of my findings and the accusations that I make.

Please accept my apologies regarding the delay in the posting of the above segment. It was due to factors beyond my control. As a result, I was able to garner much worthwhile and valuable information surrounding the case.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great chapter Mr. Stoddard. really heating up now. You grant them no mercy. They need for soeone to cme down hard on them.

If the present day police agree with the crap opf back then, well it is time to get off the police force and restore it to one of pride. My congratulations Sir, and keep the heat in, and one day here blow the lid off.

This stuff needs to be exposed. You say it well.

James S
Richmond, BC

Anonymous said...

Crooked bunch of so and so's back then. Glad oit ois not quite that bad today. Pound the government into submission on this Lew. You can do it. You engage the old brain and the mouth quite effectively. I remember the old days of your talk show.

Sincerely,
Bruce Whilms
Victoria

Anonymous said...

Great story Lew, you do a good job on it. Good luck Coffin family.

Tom Hargrove
CFB Comox, Vancouver Island

Anonymous said...

This is not your basic and typical Dick and Jane type story. I write a lot, and believe me folks, this story would not be easy. Fantastic job on it so far. This is great for the Coffin family that you are writing this right now Sir.

B. Kanelles
North Vancouver, B Ceixzf

Anonymous said...

I always knew Duplessis ran a crooked game, but this is deplorable. Thankfully, he is gone, no province needs the likes of that as government. Good to see Sir that you have the nerve to say it.

S Davidson
Woodstock, New Brunswick

james coffin said...

thank you Mr.Stoddard for another
great posting the truth is slowly coming out (give thanks for a little and you will find a lot )

Anonymous said...

Mr. Stoddard,

I am very impressed with the current segment of your story. You place the blame of this right where it belongs, right at the feet of the government.

I heard you yesterday on the radio talking about this case. You have your heart and mind in it all the way, and I support you 100%.

G. St.Laurent

Anonymous said...

Mr. Stoddard,

It was good to see in The Montreal Gazette your accomplishments and dedication in this affair.

Good to hear that James Coffin has decided to jump onboard, and Mr. Coffin I think you have picked the right guy here to work with. Lew Stoddard has put a lot of effort into this.

Bill W
Trenton, Ontario

Anonymous said...

I am glad to see The Montreal Gazette display a lot of interest in this case even if it is 50 odd years old. I was also touched by the fact that James Coffin has emerged and has joined in on this message board. I learned about this site from the story in the Gazette, and have gone back and read the whole story so far. It is informative.

Barb H
Thorold, Ontario

Anonymous said...

The Gazette paper made me aware Sir of your site. I have now bookmarked it, I like your style of story telling, good journalistic qualities.

Good luck to James Coffin and all the Coffin family.

Rose W
Moncton, New Brunswick

Anonymous said...

Lew Stoddard,

Just finished reading your last posting on the Wilbert Coffin affair. Good stuff Lew.

If you ever decide to run for Prime Minister, I can deliver you three votes from my house.

Brad and Louise
Calgary

Anonymous said...

The truthful information from all over Canada, and other countries, will be needed to bring closure to the Bill Coffin case.
People who were questioned by the police or saw them during their investigations may have valuable info that they do not think will be of benefit.
If you have an elderly parent who may have been involved please ask them if they can remember anything about those days(years) and pass on to Lew.

Anonymous said...

A message to Lew Stoddard

You make bold statements Sir. Obviously, you have done a lot of study and research of the case. That aspect is good, but truly will it do any good after all these years?

I don't want to sound like a pessimist here, but I am one who believes in the "seeing is believing approach."

In any case, Good Luck to you anyway, and I hope it is as you say, and that it turns out well. Down deep I feel Wilbert Coffin was not guilty either but reality is reality.

B. Cormier
Sherbrooke

Anonymous said...

Message to Sir or Madam B. Cormier

Thank you so much for your comment. As I state on my page, "Diverse Opinion Is What makes The World Spin."

You are indeed entitled to your opinions, and free expression is the cornerstone of this site.

You are quite correct, I have done a lot of study on this case. I have to be honest though. In some cases, the case is not exactly as I portray it, because in actual fact, it is worse.

Lew Stoddard

Ps. . . With reference to your "Seeing Is Believing" approach to things, a bit of humor for you. . . "If you stick your finger in a light socket, you can't see anything in there, but trust me, something will probably bite you."

Lew Stoddard

Anonymous said...

Finally it looks as if a real positive approach can and is being taken with regard to this affair.

I am certain that for anyone who has followed this over the years and were alive when it all happened, they would have to agree that right now, more than any other time, more is happening to stir up Canadian interest and get the people thinking and moving on it than at any other time.

This web site seems to be the catalyst that will hold it all together. This web site is like a talk show in printed form. My Congratulations to all concerned.

C Frost
London, Ontario

Anonymous said...

Just want to say Keep the chin up to all the Coffin family up there in eastern Quebec and everywhere else across the country.

Sandra McAllister
Fredericton, N B