TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT

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The time has arrived to get down to some serious business and set the record straight on a few very important aspects of this case. This case is not based on some fictional story with a setting in some unknown land. It is a case that has its roots right here in the country of Canada, in the province of Quebec, and as history books will prove, it took shape in modern times. This is what makes it scary, because it did happen in relatively modern times, the question that must be answered is simply, "could it happen again?"

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Though fifty years have passed with much better tools to work with today, an unattended judiciary in the hands of a select few individuals bent on a personal agenda, as was the case in the Coffin affair, indeed raises serious concerns. I shall attempt to point that out in an understanding way to you in the next few paragraphs.

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Prior to digesting what we are talking about, it is important that you consider that which makes an enquiry necessary in the first place. In no way am I suggesting that every court decision be the subject of an after enquiry, or an indepth scrutiny. It is necessary though when the original court process is so skewed that it hinges on illegalities.

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It would be wrong at this point to suddenly pull a specific instance completely out of context from a court process and disect it with the intention of using it as a means of autopsy on the complete affair. Clearly, I do not believe that it can be done in this manner, nor should it be done in this way.

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In order to study the Wilbert Coffin affair, it is necessary to go back in time, back into a time previous to the actual trial at Perce'. It is my contention that if rules were not followed during this preparation time, then serious questions were being created with reference to the actual trial. I believe that to be a fair statement. Consider if you will for a moment, how is it possible that a proceeding can be put together to form a legal process such as a first degree murder trial from proceedings that violated laws and freedoms of the accused?

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It is therefore paramount that the trial be looked at and studied from the very genesis of the complete affair. This particular trial when talked about is often referred to as a particularly long affair. I do not believe that it was. The trial duration in this case was nineteen days including preambles and summations. Over the years I have attended many legal ramblings that surpassed this trial in total time. A number of years ago, I attended a trial in New Westminster that was taken to court and challenged by a driver charged with speeding on a photo radar charge. That particular trial reached into the fourth day before a legal conclusion could be reached on a test case for photo radar.

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In spite of whether nineteen days was of short or long duration, I am troubled by the ratio of trial length and the length of deliberation time by the jury on conclusion. The total deliberation time was thirty one minutes. In simple arithmetic that equates to one minute and twenty-one seconds of deliberation time for each complete day of trial. In my opinion, that is absolutely incredible and astounding, comparing only to a proceeding whereby a defendant has more or less admitted guilt to a charge.

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In the case of Regina versus Coffin, Wilbert Coffin of Gaspe', Quebec was charged with the first degree murder of Richard Lindsey of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, USA. Three cases of murder had been committed, although Wilbert Coffin was charged with one case only, with the other two cases remaining unlitigated to this day.

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In the beginning it must be understood that Wilbert Coffin was out of town at the commencement of proceedings. It is generally accepted that he was in Montreal when he was called back. In reality, he was not in Montreal. He was in Abitibi, Quebec. The private inquest had been held by local coroner, Lionel Rioux. The finding of the inquest panel was simply that the three victims had been killed at the hands of a person or persons unknown.

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Information arose that indicated Wilbert Coffin had been seen in and around Gaspe' with one of the victims prior to the murders. They were attempting to secure a new fuel pump for Eugene Lindsey's truck. To the authorities, Sgt. Henri Doyon of the Quebec Provincial Police and others it appeared prudent to talk to Wilbert Coffin, as at this point, Wilbert Coffin appeared to have been the last person to have seen these people alive.

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Sgt. Doyon would then contact Wilbert Coffin's family to learn of his present whereabouts. I believe the following revelation speaks volumes as to Wilbert Coffin's innocence of this crime. In all honesty, we must ask ourselves the following question. If you were in Wilbert Coffin's shoes at this point and you were guilty of murder, would you be in a rush to get back to Gaspe' to face the music? You must consider the fact that you would not know if the police possessed something that would draw the net tight over you. What would you do at this point? I tend to think that it would be time to get out of Dodge.

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Now another question, was Sgt. Doyon concerned that Wilbert Coffin would use this time to slip away into obscurity? Absolutely not, because it was his belief from the start that Wilbert Coffin was innocent. A few hours later, right on queue, Wilbert Coffin arrives back at his Mum's house in Gaspe'. He is informed that the police were still wishing to speak with him. What does he do? He heads directly to the police station to meet up with Sgt. Henri Doyon.

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A few days later the tables would turn on Wilbert Coffin. The word was out from the authorities, if this man was the last known person to see these people alive, then pursue him relentlessly, he was to be their man.

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A public inquest is announced with a panel of jurors made up of prominent area businessmen. At the conclusion the verdict is the same as the private inquest. The three hunters are killed at the hands of a person or persons unknown. This inquest is different. The coroner, Dr. Lionel Rioux has strict orders to not question Wilbert Coffin. He is not to be put on the witness stand at the inquest. This is where Quebec justice 1950's style under the direction of premier Maurice Duplessis who also doubled as the attorney general would show its true colours.

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Doctor Rioux, being the weak individual that the authorities knew that he was, would be an easy prey for the smooth, sleazy, manipulative team from Quebec City. I am ashamed to have to admit that the next set of circumstances took place in my country and were a large part of the framework that managed to hang a man until he was dead. The special prosecutor and police sent to gaspe' for this inquest simply approached the bench and informed the coroner that he was to order the jurors to go back to the jury room and return with a finding of responsibility on the part of Wilbert Coffin. Like a flock of lost sheep, their master, Doctor Lionel Rioux gave them the order, "go back to the jury room, change the verdict and return."

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From the panel of jurors, two held out and would not go along with the change. These jurors were Gabriel Bernard and Whorrel Annett. Unfortunately, the majority followed direction and decided that it was alright to thwart justice. I found this part of this whole story very sickening. I was determined to locate anyone who might still be alive that served on this jury. I was ready to give up, when suddenly, through a third party I was asked if I might like to speak with one of the jurors from the Coffin inquest. That jurors name was Gabriel Bernard and he confirmed what I just told you. Mr. Bernard is also willing to convey his story to investigators looking at overturning this case.

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From this account, you have now been introduced to the sleaze, manipulation, and dirty tricks which prevailed during this time. You can now see how the very corner stone was put together to gain a conviction in this case. This is all so evident and we haven't even touched the court room yet.

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I know that it has been covered in the past, but it is necessary to talk again about the actual locating of the remains in the forest, how they were handled, by whom, and where they were transported to. The subsequent autopsies, and the autopsy reports are in need of being scrutinized in court in a much more subtle way than what was actually done.

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Another area that was literally taken for granted was the ballistic reports, or in this case, the lack of a proper report. These are all things that were never examined in depth at trial and yet form such an important aspect leading to a final determination of the case.

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I shall be presenting to you examples of the crown cross examining their own witness, which is strictly prohibited. You will see examples of fabricated evidence, you will see examples of evidence that was submitted, but never brought forth during the trial. You will see examples of evidence being sworn for trial with "convenient parts only" being pre-extracted by the crown. More alarming still, is the stifling reports of police officers being censured concerning their account of certain activities.

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We shall be looking in depth at the behaviour of court officials such as prosecutors and police. We will learn what it is like to go out on the town as a jury member and be treated to a movie, dinner and booze.

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When you consider all these things it is a bit difficult as to how someone can run all over the country screaming about the fair trial that Wilbert Coffin received. Now that we are entering the court room, the case will go quite quickly, so I encourage all to join with me over the course of the next few days.

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I hope to see you again in the next few days, but little by little these are things that we should know. I thank you for making that possible.

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Lew Stoddard

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This manuscript is protected by copyright. Reproduction, by any means, in part or in whole is not permitted without the express written consent of the author, Lew Stoddard.

A SPECIAL POSTING TO THE CASE

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Sometimes it is necessary to reach out from the norm and change directions prematurely. I have reached the decision to do that after viewing my own web page in the past couple of days. It is difficult sometimes to comprehend the mentality of some supposedly sane adult individuals.

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I simply cannot understand the display of rudeness in a quest to out-do each other when I look at the name calling and remarks in general. It is little wonder that this case went to the dumps. From what I see, I ask myself, is this an example of what has been involved here for the past five decades? Seriously, are we not sharing a common goal? If we are, this is the wrong route to achieve success.

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I have dedicated the use of my web site for the past two years to the express purpose of finding out what happened in this case by arriving at the truth. The site is wide open for all to use and build a data base. I ask for little in return. I grant respect to all those who take part, and conversely, I ask for your respect.

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If I were to visit your home, it is expected that I would respect your rules, and the same would apply in reverse if you were to visit mine. From the onset, I have stated many times there are certain rules that I expect adherence to should you decide to contribute to my site. That does not mean coming in today and respecting the rules of the site and then coming back tomorrow expecting a free for all. I will not allow that to happen.

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Two of those rules are as follows and are without compromise;

1) No profanity

2) No maligning of an individual

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For the past week I have watched the site from a distance hoping that what I was seeing was an isolated example. I was wrong. It got worse. It got much worse. Specifically, and I am certain that most of you know as to what I refer, I am speaking about a former police officer from the Gaspe' region, the late Constable Lewis Sinnett.

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Let us begin with the question, Who was Lewis Sinnett, and why such a furor surrounding him at this late date? Lewis Sinnett was a traffic officer with the Quebec Provincial Police in the 1950's. I single out traffic officer because Lewis Sinnett was not permanently employed as part of the investigative team of the police in the Gaspe' area. That team was headed by the late Sgt. Henri Doyon.

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Constable Sinnett knew the people of the region well and the people knew him. He was very familiar with the topographical aspects of the region based on his hunting, fishing, and hiking in the region. Additionally, one of his greatest attributes was his knowledge, and fluency, of both English and French in both the written and spoken word. Thus, he would be a natural for highway patrol work considering the influx of English speaking tourists on the road especially during the summer months.

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Whenever an investigation of serious magnitude was eminent, it was not uncommon for Sgt. Doyon to contact headquarters in Quebec City securing permission for Constable Sinnett to work with him on these cases based on his abilities. Such was the case in the Wilbert Coffin affair.

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Prior to the emergence of the Coffin affair, Sgt. Doyon had requested that Constable Sinnet go directly to St. Anne De Monts to investigate and quell a miners disturbance before it escalated to larger proportions. The date was June 13, 1953. Knowing the area well, Constable Sinnett was able to travel the woods roads to minimize travel time.

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In film footage that I have in my possession, Constable Sinnett tells it in his own words. He states emphatically that he came across a "car" on the forest road containing two individuals. It was not a jeep, not a truck, but a "car." This car had two individuals inside. The shirt of one individual was stained with blood. He asked why. He was informed that these two individuals had shot a moose, which he explained to them was out of season. He "does not" state that he did not obtain their names, nor did he say that he did not record their licence number. He merely said in the interview that he was not sure at that point where the plates were from, or who these individuals were.

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At this point of time Constable Sinnett would have been forced to do what most police officers do dozens of times during their career. Simply, he was forced to make a judgment call. He would have been faced with obeying orders and continuing on his way to the mine disturbance, or negating that order and processing the moose story. Understandably, he would have chosen to continue because of the gravity of the situation.

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I can honestly declare that during the course of my investigation and study of events for this whole affair, never have I come across documentation stating that Constable Sinnett did not make a full account and report of his findings in the woods that day. For any of you out there who have been arguing that he did not report it, now is the time to come forward with your information. I implore you to do that right now, rather than stand back and make a lot of accusations which have no basis, while hiding under a veil of secrecy and the anonymity game.

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I can tell you this though and you should pay attention. I do have in my possession a statement from Officer Sinnett stating that he did report what happened in the woods with regards to the men in the car. Do I have a date on that? No, I do not. To the anonymous person who accused that he didn't report it and that it aided in the finding of guilt against Wilbert Coffin, I ask you to now come forward and we shall compare our actual proof. You do not have anything that will prove what you are saying. These are reasons why people such as yourself remain anonymous, because at best, it is easy for you to stand back and sling mud and never have to face the challenge of producing.

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Officer Sinnett states that he turned this information over to Captain Alphonse Matte of the Quebec Provincial Police long before the trial of Wilbert Coffin. Guess what! Captain Matte informed him to keep it quiet and to say nothing, as was done with a lot of evidence that should have gone to trial but never made it to the court. Sgt. Henri Doyon was aware of what Officer Sinnett had witnessed in the woods. He stated that it was too bad that somehow Officer Sinnett couldn't open the whole thing for the big picture, but it was impossible. The reason being was that all the questions for Officer Sinnett were structured by the police and prosecutors, with the old "answer only what you are asked routine." Again I stress to you. Come forth now with your evidence. Don't just stand there with a wagging tongue.

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It is important to note that when the forest incident took place with Officer Sinnett, there was no report of missing hunters. At that point, of course he did not tie these two people in the car with the missing hunters. He had no way of knowing. The problem here is comprehension. This has all been covered in the report on the affair at least once, and in some cases two or more times. Some of you excell in skimming what is written, but lack the necessary retention skills to grasp the story.

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Another aspect of the story was the account of Lewis Sinnett with Wilbert Coffin at Camp 26. He spoke of having a nap. Some of you questioned that. Again, this was covered in the writings on my story. You labelled him a poor police officer because they had a nap in the old camp. You must remember, they left Gaspe' at daybreak. You must also remember that they were told to wait at the camp for Sgt. Henri Doyon to arrive. Sgt. Doyon was late in getting there because he had some telephone calls to take care of before he left the area. Another important aspect that some of you missed entirely was the fact that this trip was repeated on another occasion. You are mixing the events of one trip from those of another. Again, this is the result of not paying attention.

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Some of you have questioned the distance travelled by Wilbert Coffin, Lewis Sinnett, and Sgt. Henri Doyon between the area where the skeletal remains of Eugene Lindsey, and those of his son Richard and Fred Claar were found. You make reference to the fact that they travelled approximately two miles. You did not read that in my story. You chose to accept that from one of the many erroneaus newspaper stories of the day, written by some over zealous reporter. What you would have discovered in my writings was the fact that the ravine between the two areas was approximately sixty feet. That evidence comes from Lewis Sinnett who was there, not some armchair journalist investigator seeking sensationalism.

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I am also in possesion of material from Lewis Sinnett where he clarifies questions pertaining to notes that were found near the Lindsey vehicle. Again, the authorities preached the wrong sermon with reference to the so called note. What they purposely did not tell the public was the fact that not one, but two notes had been found. The police reported the one written by Thomas Miller, which was nothing more than a note to anyone finding it, would direct them to the area that he had moved to. The one that they did not reveal was the one reportedly written by Richard Lindsey. It was dated June 13, 1953. It was particularly damaging to the crown because it was written after Wilbert Coffin had left the area to travel to Montreal. As it turned out though, it presented no damage to the crown's case at all, simply because they did not declare it as an evidence exhibit. The crown would deny it's existence. Constable Sinnett on the other hand confirmed it's existence. Constable Sinnett saw the note in detail on the desk of Captain Alohonse Matte, when Matte left the room.

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We should remember that it was Constable Sinnett who would report the collusion between the jury and the crown at the trial. The jury was taken out and treated to drinks and a movie, clearly in defiance of the rules of jurisprudence. In my possession, I can also produce evidence from Constable Sinnett reporting a photograph that Captain Matte kept on the wall during the Perce' trial. It was a photo of Wilbert Coffin. Someone had taken a felt pen and drawn a noose around Mr. Coffin's neck in the photo. The crown would deny it's existence. Others, including Lewis Sinnett would confirm it's existence.

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During the course of trial it was noticed that Wilbert Coffin was wearing his military button on his jacket. Constable Sinnett was given the menial task of going to the front of the court room and removing the button. It could sway a jury, the crown said. If that would sway a jury, make no mistake, a night of drinking and a movie would have done the job as well.

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I point out these things because we should take a long hard look at Constable Sinnett before we condemn him. Constable Sinnett played a very important role in the Wilbert Coffin affair. The administration of justice in Quebec portrayed him as a fool. They did this because by putting him down, they looked stronger. It was a case of the two very lowest cogs on the wheel, Constable Lewis Sinnett, and Sgt. Henri Doyon shouldering the cause for a very deep rooted, cheap, manipulative administration headed by Maurice Duplessis.

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To suggest that Lewis Sinnett helped send his friend to the gallows is nothing short of a real cheap shot. Again, here is an example of someone spouting off with no regard for the real facts. Lewis Sinnett tried repeatedly to speak with the Canadian Minister Of Justice in Ottawa by telephone to tell his story. The Quebec administration learned of this and told him that it would do no good and that it would be left to the province. Whether it would have or not, I cannot say. I can say though, here was another example of influence peddling from the top cog down to the lowest cog in the wheel. The important thing is that Lewis Sinnett tried. If your brother, Dad, or uncle, or whoever in your family was in Wilbert Coffin's predicament, would you have felt better knowing that he was at least trying? I think that you would have. To those of you out there, who on a daily basis make your rude comments, you should think about that.

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I am not saying that it is wrong to ask questions. I am merely pointing out the fact that there is a humane way of doing it. At the end of each day those of us who still remain have to co-exist in this old world.

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It is important to remember what happens to those who opposed the rule of Duplessis in 1950's Quebec. Sgt. Henri Doyon was thrown into an insane asylum, and then promptly fired three short months before his official retirement to avoid paying him his provincial pension. He was thratened, his wife and children were forced into hiding in the Eastern Townships, their home was ransacked. Constable Sinnett had a large family as well. He knew what the capabilities of this regime were. He feared for the safety of his wife and family as well. He was under teriffic pressure to conform.

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There are rumors that Constable Sinnett perhaps drank a bit too much. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. That is the duty of someone more qualified than myself to make that determination. Did alcohol affect the daily decisions of Constable Sinnett? Again, I do not know the answer to that question. I do know this much though. If Constable Sinnett's judgment was affected by alcohol based on his consumption, then the whole Gaspe' coast should have taken stock of themselves as alcohol appeared to be the order of the day.

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I can understand the reluctance of the Sinnett family to talk about this case for all these years. No one needs to be trodden on in any walk of life. It all comes back to the fact that we all have to live in the community in one way or another. I also ask you, the reader, to be a bit more cordial in the wording of some of your comments and questions, and consider, you are dealing with human beings here who are entitled to the same respect that you are.

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Those of you out there who are finding constant fault with Constable Sinnett, I suggest that you are not looking very hard for his strong points. As I pointed out, Constable and Mrs. Sinnett had a large family. It was not just another large peninsula family, it was a family that expressed love to each other and the community. Let us remember that.

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Lew Stoddard