Murdered Woman testifies against her killer
Yes, October is here, and this year is almost gone. First, we must look at our ad jingle for the month of September. It was ….I wish I… how many guessed the answer? It was I wish I was an Oscar Mayer Weiner, and the song went something like this I wish I was an Oscar Mayer Weiner, that is what I’d truly like to be, cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner, everyone would be in love with me!
The jingle started in 1963 when J. Walter Thompson advertising company made a nationwide contest to advertise hot dogs. The winner was a Richard Trentlage from Chicago. The name of his song was “the wiener song” simple enough, and it went on to reach an estimated 49 million families in as many as 19 countries. The jingle was even used on greeting cards, so if you want everyone to love you just wish you were an Oscar Mayer Weiner. Now for this month’s jingle…You’ll wonder where the …This is a hard one, so. there you have it, and good luck.
Now for our feature story. Again, this didn’t happen in Fulks Run, but unlike last month’s story this did happen in the United States, and since October is the month where a lot of stories are about things that rattle windows and go bump in the night, I thought this would be the time to tell it. I also feel that any story that has human interest is a story most will enjoy. Well, for this one almost unhuman interest might apply.
It happened a long time ago, 1897 to be exact. I’ll start from the beginning…It was in October of 1896 when a handsome young man moved into Greenbriar County, WVA, Edward Trout Shue, by name, and, he caught the eye of all the pretty maids in town because he was tall, muscular, good looking, and on top of that he didn’t mind to work for he was a blacksmith by trade. Now, one gal stood out to him, a young lady named Elva Zona Heaster, and one thing led to another After a whirlwind romance they were married. They seemed like a happy married couple, and they moved into a home near Lewisburg, WV. That January of 1897 Zona had been reported as not feeling very well, and after several doctors’ visits she seemed to be feeling better. It was on a cold Saturday morning, January 22nd, when Trout stopped in at a neighbor’s home on the way to work and asked if her son would check in on Zona as she again was not feeling well. This was a busy day for the youth, and he didn’t think he would be able to, but after four more visits by Trout that day, the boy’s mother agreed to have him check on Zona.
When he arrived, he knocked on the door, but no answer. He called out her name as he slowly opened the door. As he entered the house, he saw droplets of blood on the floor, and when he entered the room, there Zona lay on the floor. He rushed to her body and tried to arouse her, but her body was cold and stiff. He then ran to tell Trout, then his mother, of his findings and on to the local officials.
When the officials arrived, Trout was holding Zona in his arms, weeping uncontrollably. He had already dressed in her high-neck, lace, stiff collar dress and carried her to the bedroom. When the medical examiner tried to inspect the body, Trout was so distraught it was impossible to do a thorough job. The medical examiner deemed the death as a fainting spell which today would be a heart attack. Later, because of the blood droplets the cause of death was changed to childbirth complications. At the viewing, Trout had placed a pillow and a bed sheet on each side of her head to “keep Zona comfortable,” and the people spoke about how much her loved her. She was buried in the Soule Chapel Methodist Cemetery.
After the burial Mary Heaster, Zona’s mother, took the pillowcase and bed sheet home to wash them. Then something strange happened the white bed sheet turned the water blood red, and after a few minutes the water turned back to normal. Of course, with no explanation, this was very alarming to Mary Heaster. Because of this event Mary prayed that night for God to reveal to her the meaning. Minutes later she saw Zona descend the stairs to her bedside, pale, ghostly but definitely her daughter.
Every night for four nights Zona appeared, speaking to her mother about how Trout had struck her, and took her by the neck and choked her. The reason Trout killed her was because at suppertime she had no meat to eat for supper, and he broke her neck with a forceful blow. The last night in parting Zona as she left the room turned her head a full 180 degrees to reinforce that her neck was broken.
The next day Mary went to the officials and told of all that was told to her by Zona. She persisted in her story until the decision was made to exhume the body and do a thorough autopsy. As you can imagine, the word spread like wildfire. Three doctors were chosen to perform the autopsy. What they found was unbelievable. Zona’s windpipe had been crushed. Her hyoid bone snapped, and ligaments were torn around her cervical vertebrae. This was no fainting spell, no childbirth complications. It was strangulation. What’s more shocking was that every detail of what Zona’s ghost described was exactly what the medical findings were. Her neck was bruised and showed signs of a violent death. Her husband Edward Trout Shue was in the room and was arrested immediately. He was found guilty and sentenced to life, but he died three years later in Moundsville Prison. A lynch mob tried to kill him after the trial but were unsuccessful. The prosecution never mentioned Zona’s ghost, but oddly the defense did to try and discredit Mary Heaster as mentally unstable. But the facts lined up with the story perfectly.
There is much more to this story you can find online.
But remember after reading this and as you lay in bed tonight if you hear an unusual sound, I would say don’t open your eyes. It may be best not to know what made it.
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Until Next time
Believe it or not
Ronnie
