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The Curious Murder of Zona Shue: The Greenbrier Ghost
Zona appeared after death to make sure her husband wouldn’t get away with murder
Ghosts are typically content to remain the stuff of urban legends. They hardly leave us with evidence of their existence, or their previous lives. One spirit, though, the ghost of Zona Shue, gave an entire testimony used in court to help bring her killer to justice.
In the summer of 1896, Erasmus Stribbling Shue moved from Droop Mountain in Pocahontas County, Virginia, to the sleepy village of Livesay’s Mill in Greenbrier County. Erasmus was a tall, muscular man and decidedly handsome. He accepted a job at James Crookshank’s blacksmith shop. He often introduced himself as Edward, but everybody called him Trout.
Shortly after his arrival, Trout met a farmer’s daughter named Elva Zona Heaster. Zona was instantly smitten with Trout, and he with her. They courted for a short while and were married at the Methodist Church on October 20, 1896. They appeared to have a happy marriage, but no one knew what went on behind closed doors.
