Episode 142: The Murder of Zona Heaster, the Greenbrier Ghost with Em & Christine of And That’s Why We Drink
A young woman was unexpectedly found dead, and her mother suspected something more sinister - possibly her drifter husband - was to blame. When her daughter appeared to her as a ghastly figure, she confirmed the mother’s suspicions and all the details of the murder. Would the ghost’s story be enough to bring her killer to justice? This weeks episode is - The Murder of Zona Heaster, the Greenbrier Ghost.
SOURCES
Newspaper Archives:
Marriage Announcement of E.S. Shue and E.J. Heaster, The Greenbrier Independent, October 22, 1896
Foul Play Suspected, The Staunton Spectator and Vindicator, March 4, 1897
Strange Case of Conviction, The Fort Worth Register, July 4, 1897
Trial of Trout Shue, The Staunton Spectator and Vindicator, July 8, 1897
E.S. Shue Trial, The Staunton Spectator and Vindicator, July 15, 1897
An Effort to Lynch Shue, The Staunton Spectator and Vindicator, July 22, 1897
A Weird Story of a Remarkable Crime, The Independent-Herald, February 8, 1904
Waking 'Em Up, Beckley Post-Herald, March 5, 1953
Greenbrier Ghost That Took Revenge II, Beckley Post-Herald, December 17, 1958
Greenbrier Ghost That Took Revenge III, Beckley Post-Herald, December 18, 1958
Greenbrier's Notable Shue Murder III, Beckley Post-Herald, October 29, 1964
Greenbrier Ghost Story Detail Added, Beckley Post-Herald, April 25, 1973
Murder Evidence Revealed by a Ghost, Beckley Post-Herald, October 13, 1975
Greenbrier County Ghost Described Its Own Death, Beckley Post-Herald, October 14, 1975
Writer Discovers Truth Behind Southern Ghost Story, The Atlanta Constitution, June 1, 1986
Tale From the Crypt, New York Daily News, October 13, 2019
Greenbrier Ghost, Zona Heaster Shue, Greenbrier Valley: https://greenbrierwv.com/editorials/the-greenbrier-ghost
The Greenbrier Ghost, Appalachian History: https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2018/01/greenbrier-ghost.html
A Halloween Ghost Story: The Time an Apparition Helped Convict a Murderer, The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/10/31/halloween-ghost-story-time-an-apparition-helped-convict-murderer/
Testimony From Beyond The Grave: The True Story of the Greenbrier Ghost, American Hauntings: https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/greenbrier
