Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1891-03-24
A WORD WITH MIR. COFFIN.

last week, the Tribune contained a
paragraph to the effect that Ne
vada journalist who had been Of
fered $500 to secure witness in
the Stevenson will case who had
seen the codicil to the will, had
failedto deliver the goods.
Under ordinary circumstances
the APPEAL never pays the slight
est attention to anything appear
lug in the Tribune, and only does
80 now in order to show the real
animous of the article.
The editor of the APPEAL was
never offered $500 or any other
sum to secure the witness alluded
to. The article was inspired by
Trenmor Coffin, and in replying
we shall deal with Trenmor Cot
fin alone.
Some weeks ago the editor of
the APPEAL received a letter from
Mr.. Chretein, lawyer in San
Francisco, in which he said that
he had noticed dispatches in the
papers relative to the Stevenson
will case, and he wrote to state
that he had seen the codicil which
the plaintiffs claim was destroyed.
This letter was at once turned
over to Ed Stevenson, and Mr..
Louis Stevenson who was in San
Francisco, was wired relative to
its contents. Mr.. Chretein stated
to him that he had seen the codi-
Gil in dispute and was at once Sc
cured as a witness.
About a week afterwards Louis |
Stevenson called at the APPEAL Of |
tice and stated that Trenmor
Coffin was doing some jobbery in
the case, and that he believed that
dispatches to San Francisco had
Been tempered with.
The witness was then reported
sick, and the editor of the APPEAL
was asked to go down to San
Francisco and ascertain if the wit
ness was being tempered with by
the other side. The writer calling
at his house found him sick in
bed, and after obtaining a respon-
sible physicians certificate to that
effect wired the plaintiffs, and for
warded the certificate.
The case was then moved to
San Francisco to obtain his testi-
mony, as his physician refused to :
allow him to go over the noun
tains.
The witness was placed on the ]
stand and refused to testify, on :
the grounds that Trenmor Coffin
and a detective Of Morse's Agency
had threatened a friend Of his
with exposure of a social scandal
Z he testified in the case, Coffin
had also threatened his friend with
exposure In the Wave and Neus
Letter, which papers he claimed to :,
control.
Coffin denied having called at 81
he place mentioned, but refused :,
o go on the stand and deny it, c.
md when the witness shook his t.
niger under his nose and charged G
he time and place, and also said OF
10 could produce witnesses to \
,rove it, Coffin pale and agitated
weakened and admitted having
allied on the party named. 4
1t was q pitiful spectacle to see tie
n attorney cornered as Coffin 10
vas. He had clustered about the ri
,eurt room in Carson City, about al
be character OF the witness, charg- p
1g that he was a frequenter of as
auper Alley, and that he had By
stters from the Attorney General
I California denouncing him as a
ad character. Knowing that he ~
7as blufing, Mr.. WOODBURY. wrote vi
D Attorney-General Hart and re-
eived in reply a strong endorse :
1ent Of the witness.
To refute the charge made by n
'offin Of his financial standing, he "
bowed that his business for the
astyear averaged 5000 per month.