In 1896 20-year-old Elva Zona Heaster who went by her middle name Zona met her future husband Erasmus (or Edward) Stribbling Shue who also known as Trout. He was a drifter and came to Greenbrier County, West Virginia to start his life as a blacksmith.
It was known that Zona's mother didn't approve of him. Even though her mother didn't approve of them she still married him soon after. They moved in together in a two-story log home.
On Jan 23, 1897, an 11-year-old boy who did chores for the Shue's came to their home. He had found the young Zona laying at the end of the stairs. She was dead and the boy ran to his mother and told her what he found. His mother then called the Dr and Coroner George W. Knapp. The boy went on and then told Erasmus at his blacksmith shop.
When the Doctor arrived Erasmus had brought his wife upstairs and cleaned and dressed her. Which was found strange because traditionally the women would do this. This would also be done after the coroner or Doctor looked at the body.
Her husband cradled her head crying. Doctor Knapp tried to inspect the body, but when he would make it up to Zona's neck and head her husband would start getting agitated. So he was unable to do a full autopsy. He believed that Zona had died from everlasting faint or later changed to childbirth. It was unknown if she was pregnant, but a few weeks before she was having woman problems.
Mary Jane Heaster Zona's mother was heartbroken from her death.
Everyone found that Erasmus was acting weird at the funeral and wake. He was insisting that he help with funeral and placing her body inside the casket. Especially being gentle with her head. He was also standing towards her head at the casket and would fiddle with the pillows and claimed to make her more comfortable.
Mary had claimed she saw Zona's spirit. That Zona had visited her four nights in a row. Zona told her mother that she was murdered by her abusive husband. She had told her that he got mad she didn't prepare any meat for dinner.
Looking at Erasmus's history it was found he was married twice previously. Those two had died tragic deaths much like Zona. One broke her neck when she fell from a haystack, and the other died from a broken neck when she helped him repair a chimney. Another source states he divorced his first wife because he was cruel to her and his second died mysteriously.
They exhumed Zona's body and found she had been strangled to death. Her neck was broken and bruises of fingers were on her neck. Mary's ghost sighting was what helped with prosecuting Erasmus.
On June 22, 1897, the jury came back after 2 hours with a guilty verdict. He died on March 13, 1900 from an unknown epidemic at the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville.
SOURCES:
Find A Grave
America's Most Haunted
Little Things
Appalachian History
Baltimore America
Wikipedia
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