The Greenbrier Ghost: When a Spirit Testified in Court

The Greenbrier Ghost case of 1897 stands unique in American legal history - the only known instance where testimony attributed to a ghost contributed to a murder conviction. When young Zona Heaster Shue died under mysterious circumstances, her mother claimed Zona’s spirit returned to reveal that her husband had murdered her. Remarkably, the subsequent investigation and trial proved the ghost right.

The Death

Zona Heaster Shue

The victim:

• Born Elva Zona Heaster in 1873
• Lived in Greenbrier County, West Virginia
• Married Edward Stribbling Shue in October 1896
• Marriage lasted only three months
• Found dead on January 23, 1897

The Discovery

On that January day:

• A young boy was sent to the Shue home on an errand
• He found Zona’s body at the bottom of the stairs
• She was lying stretched out, feet together, one hand on her abdomen
• The boy ran to tell his mother
• She sent for the doctor and notified Edward Shue

Edward’s Behavior

From the beginning, something was wrong:

• Edward arrived home before the doctor
• He had moved and dressed Zona’s body
• He cradled her head and wouldn’t let the doctor examine her neck
• He placed a high collar and veil on her body
• He was oddly theatrical in his grief

The Investigation

Dr. George Knapp’s Examination

The local physician:

• Arrived to find Edward holding the body
• Was hindered from conducting a proper examination
• Initially attributed death to “everlasting faint”
• Later changed it to “childbirth” (Zona may have been pregnant)
• Never properly examined her neck

The Funeral

Strange details emerged:

• Edward kept a constant vigil by the coffin
• He had wrapped her neck with a high collar and scarf
• He stuffed cloth around her head in the coffin
• He seemed nervous when anyone approached the body
• Zona’s mother Mary Jane noticed his odd behavior

Mary Jane Heaster’s Suspicions

Zona’s mother:

• Had never liked or trusted Edward
• Found his behavior at the funeral disturbing
• Believed something sinister had happened
• Prayed nightly for answers
• Then claimed her prayers were answered

The Ghost’s Visits

The Apparitions

According to Mary Jane:

• Zona’s ghost appeared to her on four consecutive nights
• The spirit appeared as a bright light that became human
• Zona looked tortured and pale
• She told her mother what had happened
• She demonstrated how she was killed

The Ghost’s Testimony

The spirit allegedly revealed:

• Edward had attacked her in a rage
• He accused her of not cooking meat for supper
• He grabbed her by the throat
• He broke her neck
• She turned her head completely around to demonstrate

Mary Jane’s Response

After the visitations:

• She went to the local prosecutor, John Alfred Preston
• She told him her daughter’s ghost had accused Edward
• She insisted on an investigation
• The prosecutor was skeptical but intrigued
• He ordered an exhumation and autopsy

The Autopsy

Medical Examination

The doctors found:

• Zona’s neck had been broken
• Her windpipe was crushed
• Finger marks were visible on her throat
• The first vertebra was crushed
• The cause of death was strangulation

The Findings

The autopsy confirmed:

• Zona had been murdered
• The manner matched the ghost’s description
• Edward’s behavior now made sense
• He had been concealing her broken neck
• The ghost, apparently, had told the truth

The Trial

Edward Shue’s Arrest

After the autopsy:

• Edward was arrested for murder
• He maintained his innocence
• His past was investigated
• Troubling patterns emerged

Edward’s History

Investigation revealed:

• He had been married twice before
• His first wife divorced him (citing cruelty)
• His second wife died mysteriously (fell, hit her head)
• He had a reputation for violence
• He had told people about a “future third wife”

The Prosecution

Prosecutor Preston:

• Built a case on physical evidence
• Called witnesses to Edward’s behavior
• Documented his suspicious actions
• Did NOT call Mary Jane to testify about the ghost

The Defense’s Mistake

Edward’s lawyers:

• Actually introduced the ghost testimony
• Hoping to discredit the prosecution
• They put Mary Jane Heaster on the stand
• Asked her about the ghost visits
• She told the whole story under oath

Mary Jane’s Testimony

On the stand, she:

• Described each of the four visitations
• Detailed what the ghost told her
• Never wavered under cross-examination
• Impressed the jury with her conviction
• Her testimony was not legally admissible as evidence
• But it clearly influenced the jury

The Verdict

Conviction

On July 11, 1897:

• Edward Shue was found guilty of murder
• He was sentenced to life in prison
• He died in the West Virginia Penitentiary in 1900
• He maintained his innocence to the end
• He claimed to be framed

Legal Significance

The Greenbrier case:

• Is the only case where “ghost testimony” led to conviction
• The ghost’s claims were verified by physical evidence
• The legal establishment was validated by the autopsy
• It remains a unique case in American jurisprudence

Analysis

Did the Ghost Actually Appear?

Several possibilities:

• Mary Jane genuinely believed she saw Zona
• She dreamed the visitations and believed they were real
• Her suspicions manifested as visions
• She fabricated the story to force an investigation
• Something genuinely supernatural occurred

The Evidence Question

What we know for certain:

• Mary Jane’s account led to the autopsy
• The autopsy confirmed the ghost’s claims
• Edward was guilty (by all physical evidence)
• Without the ghost story, he might have escaped justice
• The outcome was correct, regardless of source

Mother’s Intuition?

Some suggest:

• Mary Jane suspected Edward from the start
• She noticed his behavior at the funeral
• She may have created the ghost story to be taken seriously
• Women’s accusations weren’t always believed in 1897
• A ghost’s testimony might have been more convincing

Legacy

Historical Marker

Today in Greenbrier County:

• A historical marker commemorates the case
• It’s located near where the Shues lived
• Tourists visit to see the site
• The case is a point of local pride
• West Virginia embraces its ghostly history

In Popular Culture

The case appears in:

• Books about famous ghost stories
• Legal history discussions
• Television documentaries
• Tours of haunted West Virginia
• Studies of 19th-century justice

Legal Uniqueness

The case remains:

• The only ghost-assisted conviction
• A curiosity in legal circles
• Evidence of 19th-century attitudes
• A reminder that truth can emerge in strange ways
• Unique in American criminal history

Conclusion

In January 1897, a young woman named Zona Heaster Shue was murdered by her husband. Her death would have been ruled accidental, her killer would have gone free, and she would be forgotten - except her mother refused to accept the official story.

Whether Mary Jane Heaster truly saw her daughter’s ghost or whether she constructed the story from maternal intuition and righteous anger, the result was the same: an investigation, an autopsy, and a conviction. The physical evidence proved that the ghost - or whatever it was - told the truth.

Edward Shue broke his wife’s neck and tried to hide his crime. He might have succeeded. Instead, something spoke from beyond the grave, and justice was served.

The Greenbrier Ghost stands as a unique case - the one time in American legal history when the dead spoke, the living listened, and a murderer was brought to justice by testimony from beyond.

Whatever one believes about ghosts, Zona Heaster Shue got her justice. And her story has been remembered for more than a century, while her murderer rotted in prison.

Perhaps that’s the only ending that matters.