ClueTrail
Uncovering forgotten cases, chilling mysteries, and overlooked truths from around the world. From hidden histories to modern investigations and unsettling disappearances, each episode follows the clues...wherever they lead.
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Trail Off Tuesdays: The Ghost in the Courtroom
A mother's desperate prayer for answers leads to one of the most extraordinary criminal cases in American history. When young Zona Heaster Shue was found dead at the bottom of her staircase in rural West Virginia in 1897, her new husband Erasmus "Trout" Shue quickly attributed it to a fainting spell. The local doctor, intimidated by Trout's excessive grief and strange behavior, performed only a cursory examination before declaring the death from natural causes. But Zona's mother, Mary Jane Heaster, never trusted her daughter's husband.
Today, visitors to Greenbrier County can still visit Zona's grave – a silent testament to a mother's love, determination, and perhaps, a daughter's spirit that wouldn't rest until justice was served. Have you ever experienced something that defied rational explanation? Let us know in the reviews or share this episode with someone who appreciates how truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction.
Welcome back to Trail of Tuesdays, the curious corner of Clue Trail, where we follow the weirdest footnotes in history. Where we follow the weirdest footnotes in history. If it's strange, surprising or straight-up unbelievable, you'll find it here. Today's tale takes us back to 1897, and it involves a murder, a courtroom and a very determined mother. But the real twist the star witness was a ghost. This is the story of the Greenbrier Ghost, the only time in US history a spirit was said to have helped solve the murder.
Speaker 1:Our story begins in rural West Virginia. A young woman named Zona Hester Shue had recently married a blacksmith named Erasmus Xu. He was also nicknamed Trout. They've only been married a few months when one winter day Zona was found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Her husband claimed she had fainted, hit her head and died. Just like that. The local doctor was called in. But as soon as he got there, trout made such a scene, crying and refusing to let anyone near her, that the doctor could barely examine her body. And just like that, zona was declared dead of natural causes. She fainted and died. Case closed.
Speaker 1:Except a mother's instinct is rarely wrong and Zona's mother wasn't buying it. Wasn't buying it, mary Jane Hester. Zona's mom never liked Trout. She said she had a bad feeling about him from the start, and this suspicious death only fueled her mistrust of him. After her daughter's funeral, all she could do was to pray for a sign, any sign at all, anything to tell her what really happened to her daughter. And then it came Over the course of four nights, mary Jane claimed Zona's spirit appeared to her.
Speaker 1:Jane claimed Zona's spirit appeared to her. The ghost told her in detail that Trout had murdered her, broken her neck in a fit of rage. She even described how he'd been abusive and told her exactly how he did it. Mary Jane went straight to the county prosecutor. Now, to his credit, he didn't just laugh her out of the office. He also had his own suspicion and ordered for Zona's body to be exhumed. And guess what? The second autopsy revealed Zona's neck had been cleanly broken, her windpipe crushed and her vertebrae dislocated. This was in no way a fainting accident. This was a violent death.
Speaker 1:Trout was immediately arrested and put on trial for murder, and during that trial Mary Jane took the stand. She told the jury exactly what her daughter's ghost had told. But Mary Jane was calm, composed and absolutely unwavering in her story. And although the ghost's testimony wasn't officially admissible. It clearly left an impression. Trout was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He died a few years later during a flu epidemic. But the real legacy of the case. It's now officially recorded in legal history as the only time a ghost was credited with helping convict a killer.
Speaker 1:Today you can visit Zona's Gra grave in Greenbrier County, west Virginia. So the next time someone laughs off a ghost story, remind them that one helped solve a murder in Greenbrier. Thanks for drifting off the main trail with me today. We'll be back next Tuesday with another weird but true tale on Trail of Tuesdays. If you're loving this curious detour, let us know with a rating or review or just by sharing it with a friend, and if you've got a strange case you think belongs on this trail, you know where to find us. Until next time, thank you.