Greenbrier Ghost

 

Last week I read an article from a newspaper website that described a nineteenth century account of a 'ghost' that influenced the outcome of a murder trial.  The headline in The McDowell News was "Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: Ghost brings murderer to justice."
 
http://www2.mcdowellnews.com/content/2009/aug/26/mike-conleys-tales-weird-ghost-brings-murderer-jus/
 
This report cites circumstances involved in a 1897 murder conviction of Erasmus 'Edward' Stribbling Trout Shue in West Virginia after his wife's mother was visited by the 'ghost' of her daughter.
 
Newspaper articles documented what is now known about this case.  Another article about the case may be read at http://theunexplainedmysteries.com/greenbrier-ghost.html
 
I also learned a book has been written about the Greenbrier Ghost entitled The Man Who Wanted Seven Wives (1986) by Katie Letcher Lyle.  The book's preface written by Lyle reveals the author herself didn't believe in ghosts.  She used a fictionalizing approach in presenting this case with notes provided at the end of each chapter to distinguish facts from factually based fiction.  A transcript is included of the testimony of Zona's mother when questioned by the defense attorney.  The transcript was published in the Greenbrier Independent in 1897.
 

Q.—I have heard that you had some dream of vision which led to this postmortem examination.

A.—They saw enough themselves without me telling them.  It was no dream---she came back and told me that he was mad that she didn't have no meat cooked for supper.  Mrs. Heaster said that Zona came to her on four nights: "It was no dream, for I was as wide awake as I ever was."  When asked again if she thought that she actually saw her daughter in flesh and blood, Mrs. Heaster stated, "Yes, sir, I do.  I told them the very dress that she was killed in, and when she went to leave me she turned her head completely around and looked at me like she wanted me to know all about it."

Mike Conley mentioned this occurrence, qualifying it as "according to her mother's dream."  It is understandable how the word 'ghost' is confusing for some people as it has been and is commonly used in association with a diverse variety of so-called 'paranormal'/unexplained phenomena.