A translation by Judith Turcotte. At the end of the year 2016, I published a series of blogs denouncing the idea that Paul Comtois, lieutenant-governor of the province, had died in the fire of Bois de Coulonges while he was trying to recover from the chapel the objects essential for the Eucharist. I believed it necessary to … Lire plus
Part #6: CONCLUSION? The coroner then questioned a number of first respondents including Gerard Tobin, the fire chief of the city of Sillery where Bois-de-Coulonge was located. He described some of the difficulties encountered with incompatible fire hydrants, lack of water and low pressure. He admitted, however, that even without these problems, they could not … Lire plus
Part 5: CORROBORATION? The next two witnesses described the circumstances surrounding the finding of the body among the still smoking ruins. Doctor Richard Authier explained that he was called to the site to examine a torso with no arms, no legs and no head. Brian Turpin, the fireman who found the body, went on to explain … Lire plus
Part 4: The CORONER and the WITNESSES. The next step in my search was to obtain a copy of the coroner’s report. After an initial demand at the coroner’s office, I was directed to the Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec and within a few days I received the report, all 300 pages of it. The … Lire plus
Part 3. CAUSES? The state funeral for Paul Comtois was held on Thursday and the press coverage was extensive; hundreds of political personalities were in attendance including Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and opposition leader John Diefenbaker. Most papers reproduced the eulogy of Cardinal Maurice Roy, the Catholic Archbishop of Quebec. Again no mention was made … Lire plus
Part 2: SPECULATIONS The obvious place to start was to peruse the daily papers of the day. That task was made easy by my late mother who had kept copies of all the newspapers published during the week that followed the death of her father. Without doubt she must have intended to one day make a … Lire plus
Part 1: Doubts On the morning of February 21, 1966, Paul Comtois, Quebec’s Lieutenant-Governor died in the fire that destroyed the Bois-de-Coulonge mansion, his official residence. His death was quickly ruled accidental by a coroner’s inquest and the investigation into his death was quickly closed much to the relief of Jean Lesage’s provincial government. For the … Lire plus