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MORE ABOUT COFFIN'S PICK-UP TRUCK
A few days ago, someone under the name of A. Mercier of Québec posted the following comment. Since, it casts doubt on my credibility, I post now William Baker’s testimony before the Gaspé jury. I let you be the judges.
À 10 avril, 2008 01:00 , A Mercier a dit...
Message to Mr. Fortin. If that is what you reported in your book, then I suggest that you check the facts. I am referring to the taking of the truck to Montreal, and when Mr. Baker found out, and how he found out. You are quite incorrect. If you check with Lew Stoddard at http://stoddardsviews.blogspot.com he can bring you up to date with "facts" that he can prove.As you are no doubt aware, nothing gets published on that web site unless it can be backed up with documentation. I suggest that you contact him. A Mercier Quebec
EXCERPTS FROM THE TRANSCRIPTIONS OF COFFIN’S TRIAL BEFORE THE COURT OF QUEEN’S BENCH IN GASPÉ, ON JULY 28TH 1954
WILLIAM BAKER, aged 43, hotelkeeper, domiciled in Gaspé, being duly sworn upon the Holy Evangelists, doth depose and say:
EXAMINED by Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. fort the Prosecution
Q. Mr. Baker, have you known the accused, Wilbert Coffin for sometime ?
A. Yes, I have.
Q. Well, just how long?
A. Oh, about ten – twelve years.
Q. In 1953, were you the owner of a Chevrolet pick-up?
A. Yes sir, I was.
C. Will you look at this photo, which has been filed as P-70, which shows a Chevrolet pick-up with a Québec Province license F-51215, and tell us if this is the pick-up.
THE COURT:
J’aimerais mieux que le témoin dise lui-même
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the Prosecution :
Q. Will you look at this photograph and tell us what pick-up it shows there?
A. That’s my Chev. truck.
THE COURT:
Q That’s P-70?
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the Prosecution:
P-70, My Lord.
Q. Do you still own that pick-up?
A. Not now, no.
Q, How come you haven’t got it anymore?
A. Well…
Mtre Raymond Maher, for the defence:
OBJECTED, the anterior facts should be fully established before coming to later ones.
THE COURT:
OBJECTION OVERRULED FOR THE MOMENT,
(The preceding question is read back by the reporter),
THE WITNESS:
A. Well, it was involved in an accident, and it was repaired and I sold it.
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the Prosecution :
Q. Where did that accident take place?
A. In the City of Montréal.
Q. At what date, or just about?
A. Oh, to tell you the date, I don’t remember the date exactly it was.
Q. Do you remember the month?
A. The latter part of June or the early part of July.
THE COURT:
Q. What year?
A. Last year, Your Honour.
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the prosecution:
Q. Who was in charge of that truck when that accident occurred?
Mtre François Gravel for the Defence:
OBJECTED, the witness should be asked if he was there first.
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the Prosecution:
QUESTION WITHDRAWN.
Q. Had you loaned that truck?
A. Yes, I had loaned the truck.
Q. Who to?
A. To Mr. Wilbert Coffin.
Q. At the time of the accident, had Mr. Wilbert Coffin given back your truck?
A. No.
Q. Now, will you tell us when you had loaned that truck to Wilbert Coffin?
A. If I remember the date right, it was June 8th, around June 8th.
Q. 1953?
A. 1953, yes.
Q. Was Coffin alone when you loaned him that truck, or as he accompanied by somebody else?
A. No, he was accompanied by Mr. MacDonald.
Q. What is Mr. MacDonald’s first name?
A. Angus MacDonald.
Q. Is he here today?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Now, will you tell us the circumstances, which surround the loaning of that truck to the accused?
A, Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Coffin came to see me, and they were prospecting at the time on the St. John River, and they heard of a certain district there was possibilities of copper being there, and they wanted to go and investigate it, and the truck was loaned for the purpose of going there and doing some prospecting work.
Q. Loaned to Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Coffin?
A. Jointly to both of them.
Q. Was there any consideration, were there money or other considerations for the loaning of that truck?
A. The understanding was that if anything materialized, if we found anything, that we would all join together on it.
Q. So this was, as much as you are sure, on the 8th of June 1953?
A, That’s the approximate date.
Q. And after you decided to loan your truck did Coffin and MacDonald go away with it?
A. They did, yes sir.
Q. Now, assuming it was on the 8th, did you see Coffin on the 8th?
A. Not that I recall, no.
Q. Did you see Coffin on the 10th?
A. No.
Q. Did you see Coffin on the 11th ?
A. Not that I recall, no.
Q. Did you see him at anytime after?
A. I did see him, and I believe it was on the 12th, in the afternoon.
Q. Had you seen MacDonald on the 9th or the 10th or the 11th ?
A. Yes, I did.
Q. Where was he?
A. He came to the establishment that I run, the Ash Inn.
Q. Would you remember if you saw him on the 9th ?
A. It was either the 9th or the 10th , I’m not sure.
Q. What was – did he tell you the purpose of his visit to your establishment?
A. Yes, he was looking for Mr. Coffin.
Q. And where did you see Coffin on the 12th ?
A. I met him in the village of Gaspé, in the main part of the village.
Q, Did you see Coffin first or your truck?
A. I saw my truck first.
Q. Where was it?
A. It was parked along side a building, the United Fishery Building.
Q. What did you do?
A. I went over to the truck, and nobody was there, I started back and Coffin came back and hailed me and I went back to the truck.
Q. What did you have to tell him or what did he have to tell you?
A. I told him Mr. MacDonald was looking for him, and he didn’t know where he was.
Q. And?
A. …
Q. What was his answer?
A. He told me that he was supposed to pick up Mr. MacDonald, but the place he was going to, the territory was rough and rugged rather bad to go over, and he decided he could do the work himself much quicker alone.
Q. Than with Mr. MacDonald?
A. Than accompanied by Mr. MacDonald.
Q. Did you have anything to say on that?
A. No, it sounded logical to me.
Q. And, was anything said further as to any further use of that truck?
A. No.
Q. Did you learn anytime that Coffin had gone to Montréal with your truck?
A. No.
Q. Well of course, you learned about a trip to Montréal with your truck?
A. Only when I was notified about the accident.
Q. On that day, the 12th of June, was there any question between the accused and yourself that he was leaving that night with your truck?
A. Not that I recall; he never mentioned it.
Q. And you stated before that the first news you had about that trip to Montréal is when you learned about that accident?
A. That’s right.
Q. How did you learn about the accident?
A. I received a phone call.
Q. Do you know whom from?
A. Well, it was from a lady who was accompanying Mr. Coffin.
Q. What is her name?
A. To tell the truth, I don’t know.
Q. What name did she give on the phone?
A. She didn’t give any name, she asked for me, it was a long distance call, and she asked me, she said: “I am phoning you from Montréal to let you know Wilbert had an accident he hit a street car”.
THE COURT;
Q. When you loaned that truck, you said you loaned it jointly to Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Coffin. That’s what you said I think?
A. That’s right.
Q. Was there any mention at the time, in Coffin’s presence, as to the date when he was supposed to go into that area for prospecting purposes?
A. No, the understanding was that as soon as the weather was suitable, and whenever they could get away.
Q. That was on the 8th ?
A. On the 8th .
Q. And you received a visit from MacDonald either the following day or the day after?
A. That’s right.
Q. He was looking for Coffin?
A. That’s right.
À 10 avril, 2008 01:00 , A Mercier a dit...
Message to Mr. Fortin. If that is what you reported in your book, then I suggest that you check the facts. I am referring to the taking of the truck to Montreal, and when Mr. Baker found out, and how he found out. You are quite incorrect. If you check with Lew Stoddard at http://stoddardsviews.blogspot.com he can bring you up to date with "facts" that he can prove.As you are no doubt aware, nothing gets published on that web site unless it can be backed up with documentation. I suggest that you contact him. A Mercier Quebec
EXCERPTS FROM THE TRANSCRIPTIONS OF COFFIN’S TRIAL BEFORE THE COURT OF QUEEN’S BENCH IN GASPÉ, ON JULY 28TH 1954
WILLIAM BAKER, aged 43, hotelkeeper, domiciled in Gaspé, being duly sworn upon the Holy Evangelists, doth depose and say:
EXAMINED by Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. fort the Prosecution
Q. Mr. Baker, have you known the accused, Wilbert Coffin for sometime ?
A. Yes, I have.
Q. Well, just how long?
A. Oh, about ten – twelve years.
Q. In 1953, were you the owner of a Chevrolet pick-up?
A. Yes sir, I was.
C. Will you look at this photo, which has been filed as P-70, which shows a Chevrolet pick-up with a Québec Province license F-51215, and tell us if this is the pick-up.
THE COURT:
J’aimerais mieux que le témoin dise lui-même
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the Prosecution :
Q. Will you look at this photograph and tell us what pick-up it shows there?
A. That’s my Chev. truck.
THE COURT:
Q That’s P-70?
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the Prosecution:
P-70, My Lord.
Q. Do you still own that pick-up?
A. Not now, no.
Q, How come you haven’t got it anymore?
A. Well…
Mtre Raymond Maher, for the defence:
OBJECTED, the anterior facts should be fully established before coming to later ones.
THE COURT:
OBJECTION OVERRULED FOR THE MOMENT,
(The preceding question is read back by the reporter),
THE WITNESS:
A. Well, it was involved in an accident, and it was repaired and I sold it.
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the Prosecution :
Q. Where did that accident take place?
A. In the City of Montréal.
Q. At what date, or just about?
A. Oh, to tell you the date, I don’t remember the date exactly it was.
Q. Do you remember the month?
A. The latter part of June or the early part of July.
THE COURT:
Q. What year?
A. Last year, Your Honour.
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the prosecution:
Q. Who was in charge of that truck when that accident occurred?
Mtre François Gravel for the Defence:
OBJECTED, the witness should be asked if he was there first.
Mtre Paul Miquelon, Q.C. for the Prosecution:
QUESTION WITHDRAWN.
Q. Had you loaned that truck?
A. Yes, I had loaned the truck.
Q. Who to?
A. To Mr. Wilbert Coffin.
Q. At the time of the accident, had Mr. Wilbert Coffin given back your truck?
A. No.
Q. Now, will you tell us when you had loaned that truck to Wilbert Coffin?
A. If I remember the date right, it was June 8th, around June 8th.
Q. 1953?
A. 1953, yes.
Q. Was Coffin alone when you loaned him that truck, or as he accompanied by somebody else?
A. No, he was accompanied by Mr. MacDonald.
Q. What is Mr. MacDonald’s first name?
A. Angus MacDonald.
Q. Is he here today?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Now, will you tell us the circumstances, which surround the loaning of that truck to the accused?
A, Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Coffin came to see me, and they were prospecting at the time on the St. John River, and they heard of a certain district there was possibilities of copper being there, and they wanted to go and investigate it, and the truck was loaned for the purpose of going there and doing some prospecting work.
Q. Loaned to Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Coffin?
A. Jointly to both of them.
Q. Was there any consideration, were there money or other considerations for the loaning of that truck?
A. The understanding was that if anything materialized, if we found anything, that we would all join together on it.
Q. So this was, as much as you are sure, on the 8th of June 1953?
A, That’s the approximate date.
Q. And after you decided to loan your truck did Coffin and MacDonald go away with it?
A. They did, yes sir.
Q. Now, assuming it was on the 8th, did you see Coffin on the 8th?
A. Not that I recall, no.
Q. Did you see Coffin on the 10th?
A. No.
Q. Did you see Coffin on the 11th ?
A. Not that I recall, no.
Q. Did you see him at anytime after?
A. I did see him, and I believe it was on the 12th, in the afternoon.
Q. Had you seen MacDonald on the 9th or the 10th or the 11th ?
A. Yes, I did.
Q. Where was he?
A. He came to the establishment that I run, the Ash Inn.
Q. Would you remember if you saw him on the 9th ?
A. It was either the 9th or the 10th , I’m not sure.
Q. What was – did he tell you the purpose of his visit to your establishment?
A. Yes, he was looking for Mr. Coffin.
Q. And where did you see Coffin on the 12th ?
A. I met him in the village of Gaspé, in the main part of the village.
Q, Did you see Coffin first or your truck?
A. I saw my truck first.
Q. Where was it?
A. It was parked along side a building, the United Fishery Building.
Q. What did you do?
A. I went over to the truck, and nobody was there, I started back and Coffin came back and hailed me and I went back to the truck.
Q. What did you have to tell him or what did he have to tell you?
A. I told him Mr. MacDonald was looking for him, and he didn’t know where he was.
Q. And?
A. …
Q. What was his answer?
A. He told me that he was supposed to pick up Mr. MacDonald, but the place he was going to, the territory was rough and rugged rather bad to go over, and he decided he could do the work himself much quicker alone.
Q. Than with Mr. MacDonald?
A. Than accompanied by Mr. MacDonald.
Q. Did you have anything to say on that?
A. No, it sounded logical to me.
Q. And, was anything said further as to any further use of that truck?
A. No.
Q. Did you learn anytime that Coffin had gone to Montréal with your truck?
A. No.
Q. Well of course, you learned about a trip to Montréal with your truck?
A. Only when I was notified about the accident.
Q. On that day, the 12th of June, was there any question between the accused and yourself that he was leaving that night with your truck?
A. Not that I recall; he never mentioned it.
Q. And you stated before that the first news you had about that trip to Montréal is when you learned about that accident?
A. That’s right.
Q. How did you learn about the accident?
A. I received a phone call.
Q. Do you know whom from?
A. Well, it was from a lady who was accompanying Mr. Coffin.
Q. What is her name?
A. To tell the truth, I don’t know.
Q. What name did she give on the phone?
A. She didn’t give any name, she asked for me, it was a long distance call, and she asked me, she said: “I am phoning you from Montréal to let you know Wilbert had an accident he hit a street car”.
THE COURT;
Q. When you loaned that truck, you said you loaned it jointly to Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Coffin. That’s what you said I think?
A. That’s right.
Q. Was there any mention at the time, in Coffin’s presence, as to the date when he was supposed to go into that area for prospecting purposes?
A. No, the understanding was that as soon as the weather was suitable, and whenever they could get away.
Q. That was on the 8th ?
A. On the 8th .
Q. And you received a visit from MacDonald either the following day or the day after?
A. That’s right.
Q. He was looking for Coffin?
A. That’s right.
8 commentaires:
Maitre Fortin,
Those who ask for documentation, not theories, sure enjoy your site!
Another stunning post. Thanks.
R. Richradson, Montreal QC
ok, so this tells us the truck was not loaned to coffin only, it was loaned to mr. Angus McDonald, and Mr. coffin together, Bill Bakers truck.
I find it very strange when mr. Baker had the call from a woman telling him his truck had been in an accident, and he had no intrest to ask a name?
was mr. Baker, and mr. Coffin and mr. McDonald in parter ship with in copper search?
Could you tell me if records show the accident happen in Montreal?
The Coffin affair is crowded with gossips like Mercier. Thank you Mr Clement for confining yourself to the facts.
Le témoignage de M. Baker illustre le caractère sacré de nos cours de justice. M. Baker a beau être un ami de Coffin, il n'est pas là pour badiner ni pour émettre des théories. Il répond aux questions avec beaucoup d'aplomb. Ses réponses n'aident pas son ami, mais il n'y peut rien.
Michel Plante
LAVAL
There is no doubt that the accident happened in Montréal. I refer you to my latest posting. Roger Leclerc, the body shop employee, who testified before the Percé jury gives relevant details about the accident. Moreover, Marion Petrie, Coffin’s mistress, in the sworn statement that she made on the 6th of August 1953, in Montréal, explains how this accident happened. She mentions, inter alia, that she and Coffin were taken to St-Luc Hospital and that the pick-up truck was towed to a garage. I am leafing through the police file. There are more than 4000 pages. If I come across a police report on that accident, I will let you know.
Thanks for answering my question..
I would like to know the distance from where the hunters truck was found, to where the bodies were found. the distance from the truck to the bodies?
I refer you to my last posting "The Crime Scene". This information should answer your question.
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