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7. The Tell-Tale Ghost

Kirsty Logan tells the story of The Greenbrier Ghost, the only known case in which testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer.

Illustration by Seonaid Mackay

‘In Greenbrier County, West Virginia, USA, there is a trail marker with the following emblazoned on it. ‘Interred in nearby cemetery is Zona Heaster Shue. Her death in 1897 was presumed natural until her spirit appeared to her mother to describe how she was killed by her husband Edward. Autopsy on the exhumed body verified the apparition's account. Edward, found guilty of murder, was sentenced to the state prison. Only known case in which testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer.’

Kirsty tells the story of The Greenbrier ghost, and explores why tales of murder victims coming back to seek justice have always loomed large in the history of ghost lore.

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14 minutes

Last on

Fri 22 Oct 2021 14:45

Alan Murdie - The Hammersmith Ghost

Alan Murdie - The Hammersmith Ghost

Our Extra Interview today is Alan Murdie. Alan Murdie is a barrister, a council member of the Society for Psychical Research and chairman of . Founded in 1862, it is the oldest organisation in the world associated with psychical research.

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Alan talks to us about the strange case of the Hammersmith Ghost, the only case in English legal history where someone was murdered, because they were believed to be a spirit. This spectre did not just loom over Hammersmith, it haunted the British Legal system for over 200 years, and helped change the way we view the guilty mind.

Broadcasts

  • Tue 27 Oct 2020 13:45
  • Fri 22 Oct 2021 14:45