Long a favorite among West Virginians, Deitz's Greenbrier Ghost tells the story of the only trial in the United States where the testimony of a ghost was used to convict a man! ﾠThis man, Edward Shue, was convicted of killing his young wife, Heaster, and sentenced to life in prison. ﾠHe met his fate because the judge allowed Heaster's mother to testify to the information she swore came from her daughter - from beyond the grave! ﾠ An autopsy confirmed the cause of death, which was just as Heaster's ghost had told her mother. ﾠ
One of the more unusual ghost stories, this one even has an official state highway marker to its name.
In addition to the Greenbrier ghost story, there are about 45 other ghost stories from around West Virginia. The author compiled these from countless interviews with people, allowing them to tell in their own words, the ghost story that they had experienced.
Dennis Dietz did not start writing till he was 73 years old. These ghost stories were his favorite of over 30 books he eventually wrote. When asked if he believed in the stories, he would reply, "I think that the people who told me these stories were passionate believed in them, and for me, that makes a great story one way or another."
