The Greenbrier Ghost

The Greenbrier Ghost case of 1897 is unique in American legal history: it is the only known instance where testimony about a ghost’s communication was accepted in court and helped convict a murderer. The ghost of Elva Zona Heaster Shue allegedly appeared to her mother and revealed that she had been murdered by her husband.

The Death

Zona Heaster married Erasmus Stribbling Trout Shue in October 1896, just three months after they met. On January 23, 1897, Zona was found dead at home by a boy who had been sent to the house on an errand.

Erasmus displayed strange behavior around the body. He had dressed it himself before the doctor arrived, which was unusual for the time. He cradled his wife’s head and refused to let anyone examine it. He tied a high collar around her neck and placed a veil over her face.

The local doctor, who had been treating Zona for an unspecified illness, listed her cause of death as “everlasting faint” and later “childbirth,” though no evidence of pregnancy was found.

The Apparition

Zona’s mother, Mary Jane Heaster, had disliked Erasmus from the beginning and refused to accept the official cause of death. She prayed for her daughter to return and reveal the truth.

According to Mary Jane, Zona’s ghost appeared to her on four consecutive nights. The ghost told her mother that Erasmus had murdered her, breaking her neck because he was angry that she had not prepared meat for dinner. The ghost reportedly turned her head completely around to demonstrate the injury.

The Exhumation

Mary Jane convinced the local prosecutor, John Alfred Preston, to investigate further. An exhumation and autopsy were ordered. The examination revealed Zona’s neck was broken and her windpipe crushed, consistent with strangulation.

Erasmus was arrested and charged with murder.

The Trial

At trial, Erasmus’s defense attorney, attempting to discredit Mary Jane’s testimony, asked her about the ghost’s visits. This backfired: Mary Jane’s detailed, emotional account of her daughter’s appearances impressed the jury.

The prosecution never explicitly argued that the ghost’s testimony proved guilt. Instead, they presented it as the catalyst that led to the discovery of physical evidence. Erasmus was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 1900.

Legacy

A historical marker now stands in Greenbrier County commemorating the case. It remains the only documented instance in American legal history where ghostly testimony contributed to a murder conviction.