THE WILBERT COFFIN CASE.
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A SPECIAL INTERVIEW.
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.Throughout the course of my investigation of the Wilbert Coffin case I have learned to expect the unexpected, especially in the search of individuals whom I had been assured were no longer with us. Two individuals, both of whom I have presented in the past, namely Mimi Wilson and Gabriel Bernard are very much alive and still want to be heard. As well, I have located and spoken with two police officers who are still alive, and who took part in the Wilbert Coffin investigation.
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During the past few days in reviewing various elements of the case, I could see there were a couple of areas that I was not satisfied with. It would require a lot more searching before I was prepared to just assume that all parties had passed on into eternity. I am pleased to have been blessed with an inquisitive mind, because it again paid dividends.
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I feel blessed to have had the opportunity this past week to speak with a special elderly lady. She too was touched tremendously by the Wilbert Coffin murder case. This lady's name is Donna McGuire. You are probably not familiar with this lady's name. You will be in a moment. You see Donna McGuire lost very heavily, more heavily than most of us could ever begin to comprehend at that murder scene in the Gaspe' woods back in 1953.
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Donna McGuire lost a father and a younger brother, savagely murdered with another young man on that fateful day back in June, 1953. Her Dad was Eugene Lindsey and her brother of course was young Richard.
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I must say that I was not totally prepared for the response that I might encounter If I should be fortunate enough to reach this lady. I simply did not know if she would be talkative, bitter, or if in fact would she talk to me at all. I would afterall be intruding into a very tragic element of her life. The first question that I must get out of the way was to determine if she was in fact the person that I was seeking.
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As soon as I introduced myself, I asked her straight out if it was she who had lost a father and brother in the Quebec woods back in 1953. She confirmed to me that it was, and I then asked her if she would mind carrying on an informal conversation about the matter. Donna very politely informed me that she would answer my questions as best she could. I explained to her that if it was too sensitive for her to talk at length, then we could break and continue later, but she told me she was alright.
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I asked Donna to explain her fondest moments with her Dad. She explained to me that she cherished most, the times that she and her Dad would go fishing. She did not particularly care for fishing, but it provided time together with her Dad. Donna explained to me that as a family they lived out in the country in Pennsylvania and hunting and fishing was a way of life. She further went on to explain that her Dad was a good provider.
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When asked about her younger brother Richard, Donna explained they were very close and the normal brother/sister rivalries took place. Brother Richard loved the out of doors and like father like son, fishing and hunting were on the agenda in his life along with his school work. When the events in Quebec took place Donna was twenty years old and was a student, and thus, has a vivid memory of the events as they began to unfold.
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Donna remembers those days when they should have heard from her Dad's party. She recalls the Pennsylvania police contacting Gaspe' residents and hearing of the discovery of her Dad's truck. The most terrible time of all was when they were informed that a grim discovery had been made in the woods, and Mr. Claar deciding to travel to Gaspe'. Clarence Claar was the father of Fred Claar who was the other young man who was murdered.
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Donna informed me that in the months following, police officers arrived from Canada but they did not seem to know what they were looking for. They were informed that a suspect was in custody and would stand trial for murder.
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I asked Donna specifically if she or other family members knew for sure as to how much money Eugene Lindsey was carrying on his person. She told me they did not.
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Donna, her sister Eleanor, and her Mom Mary travelled to Perce' to attend the trial in 1954. They were accompanied by their family lawyer.
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Upon completion of the trial, they were informed that justice had been done and finally someone would pay for the crimes. My question to Donna was, Do you think that justice was done? This is where Donna gave some interesting comments about the trial process.
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Donna felt that the trial was a strange process from the beginning. Shes felt it terrible that a defendant would be facing a death sentence having had nothing better than Raymond Maher as a defense attorney. Her comments was that he really did nothing throughout the trial. He never cross examined, nor did he call witnesses. As Donna said, the crown was able to say anything they wanted and there was no opposition. Their family lawyer she said, stated that Mr. Maher acted like a theatrical prop.
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I had to ask Donna the question, Was she satisfied that justice was served? Her response was simple. Even though they were told Wilbert Coffin was guilty, she felt that he should never have been found guilty at that trial based on what was presented at trial, especially in view of the fact that he had virtually no legal defence lawyer acting on his behalf.
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This was the point of the interview where Donna had a question for me. Her question was "Where did they get that Raymond Maher in the first place and why?
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Donna went on to explain that, Yes, they wanted the party or parties responsible for the deaths to be brought forward and be accountable. It was not difficult to read it in her words, they are not sure that is what happened.
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I explained to Donna that I have been investigating this case non-stop for three years and several things are coming into focus. I explained to her that I do not believe that Wilbert Coffin committed these murders and that I have reason to believe and I do believe that others should have been investigated.
I thanked Donna for her time and she explained to me that I have permission to contact her again if there is something that she can assist with.
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I felt it pertinent that you read this interview prior to me presenting the autopsy reports and some other police reports. Thank-you once again and God Bless you one and all.
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Lew Stoddard.
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