The Startling Story of Zona Shue

In January 1897 Greenbriar County, West Virginia, Zona Heaster Shue has died.  A young bride, married just two months earlier to the strapping blacksmith, Edward (known as Trout) Shue a mere two weeks after they met.  Now she lay dead on the floor at the foot of the stairs.

An hour after the discovery of her body the doctor appeared only to find Trout had moved her into the bedroom and dressed her for her funeral.  The husband was too distraught to allow the doctor to do more than a cursory examination of the young woman.

Zona's mother, Mary Jane Heaster, was devastated by her daughter's death and was suspicious of Trout.  Many people noticed that during the wake he kept the others away, not allowing any to really see her body well.  He had placed a large scarf around her neck, saying it was her favorite and would have wanted it to be used.  A sheet had been placed in the coffin to cover the body and a veil covered
the face.

The sheet was removed just before interment.  Mary Jane took it home and washed it.  She was startled when the water turned red and the sheet became pink.  Though she boiled it in water and hung it on the line, the stain persisted.  Mary Jane was convinced her daughter had indeed been murdered, a thought shared by many of her neighbors.

Mary Jane prayed fervently for her daughter to come see her and tell what had happened.  A short time later her prayers were answered when Zona came to her one night.  Over the course of four nights Zona told her mother that Trout was indeed a mean man.  They had argued that day and he grabbed her by the throat and strangled her.

Not one to sit idly by, Mary Jane went to the prosecutor, demanding he take action against Trout, relating what Zona had told her.  The prosecutor was not one to rely on dreams to solve a crime.  But he was aware of some of the rumors making the rounds.  He decided to make the rounds, talking to those who could be involved.  The doctor admitted to a limited examination due to Trout's distress over Zona's death.

It also didn't take long to dig back into Trout's life.  They discovered Zona was his third wife.  His first left him after a short marriage because of his whipping up on her.  He married again and his second wife died mysteriously just a few months later.  When the law told Trout they were checking into Zona's death he replied to the effect, "They'll never prove I did it."

During the trial the prosecutor did not mention Mary Jane's conversations with Zona.  However, his defense attorney knew of her statements and spent a lot of time asking her about it on the stand in an effort to paint her as unstable and unreliable.  She answered all his questions and never varied her statements.  His efforts didn't work, though, for the jury didn't take a lot of time to find him guilty.

Trout got life in prison as his sentence, and died only three years later, possibly of measles.

On her gravestone there is engraved the following:  "only known case where a ghost's testimony sent a man to prison."  Outside town, on Highway 60, is a roadside plaque with a short statement of the death and trial.

Zona had not testified, of course, and normally the statements her mother testified to would not have been allowed.  After all, Zona was not available for questions.  However, since the defense attorney elicited her statements, the judge said he had to allow them. 

Legal Final Ten

Today we look at the final ten of the fifty states and some laws that made it on the books, though one must wonder how and why.  Something must have happened to make the laws seem reasonable at the time, but for the life of me, it is difficult to decipher just what that reasoning could possibly be.  So here we go, one more time.

     South Dakota     -   It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory.  (Does that
                                    mean it is okay to do so in any other type of factory?)
     Tennessee          -   You can't shoot any game other than whales from a moving
                                     automobile.  (Again, Tennessee is not a coastal state.  I just can't see
                                    where or why one would even see a whale, in or out of a vehicle.)
     Texas                -   It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing. 
                                   ( I don't have any experience in this area, but from all the old westerns
                                   I watched over the years, sipping beer does not seem to be the custom
                                   in the state of Texas.  The participants seemed to be more intent on
                                   guzzling than sipping.)
     Utah                  -   It is illegal not to drink milk.  (Okay, if you have lactose problems,
                                   you might want to inquire about getting a waiver for this law.)
     Vermont           -   Women must obtain written permission from the husband to wear false
                                   teeth.  (Is this an attempt by the men to get the women to keep their
                                   mouths shut?  Just a thought.)
     Virginia            -   In the town of Culpepper, you may not wash a mule on the sidewalk.
                                   (Funny, I've never even considered mule washing, on or off the walk.)
     Washington      -   All lollipops are banned.  (Do you suppose a legislator had just gotten
                                   a large dental bill for kiddos eating too much candy?)
     West Virginia   -   Whistling underwater is prohibited.  (Is it just me, or does the mere idea
                                   of underwater whistling seem way too quirky to make sense?)
     Wisconsin         -   It is illegal to serve apple pie in restaurants without cheese.  (Now I have
                                   to admit, I do see some sense to this one.  Wisconsin is famous for their
                                   cheeses, and apple pie is certainly enhanced by its addition.)
     Wyoming          -   You may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an
                                    official permit.  (I'm totally lost on this.  Why just in the winter time?
                                    (Why rabbits?  Are they the only animals requiring this permit?)

There you have it.  Laws that amuse, and may even make sense to someone in some unknown way.  I heard someone say once, that all lawmakers should spend equal time discarding old or unwanted laws as they do on coming up with new ones.  Because you know that any law written requires large amounts of regulations on just how these laws should be administered.  Lord, deliver us from this never-ending deluge of bureaucracy.

You Say What Is Against The Law??

Let's take a look at another ten legal issues that have arisen across the states over time.  Again, someone somewhere decided at some time or other that constituents were upset over a specific issue, enough to push this issue to some legislature's attention, enough to get the laws passed.  Remember, I found these laws on the Internet so I cannot vouch for their veracity or the time of their passage.

New Mexico       -  In the town of Las Cruces you may not carry a lunchbox down
                               Main street.
New York           -  It is against the law to slurp your soup.
North Carolina   -  Attention all cotton farmers!!  You may not use elephants to plow
                               your cotton fields.
Ohio                   -   And fishermen must also be diligent when enjoying their passion.  It is
                               illegal to get a fish drunk in this fair state.  (If you take booze to the
                               lake or river, plan on consuming it yourself.)
Oklahoma          -   It is illegal to wear your boots to bed.  (Do you think the ladies had
                               something to do with getting this law enacted?)
Oregon               -  One must wear "suitable clothing" when bathing.  (Is the "suitable
                               clothing specified in the law?  I just don't know.)
Pennsylvania      -  This law is related to the one in Oregon.  In William Penn's namesake
                               state you may not sing in the bathtub. (I wonder if they later updated
                               it to include singing in the shower?)  
Rhode Island      -  In this state, you may not bite off the leg of another person.  (I don't
                               even want to think about the reasoning behind this law.)
South Carolina   -  Evidently a pious state at the time, the powers that be passed a law
                               making it illegal to do any work on Sunday.  (I have a feeling this
                               one has gone by the wayside by now.)

So watch your actions, fellow citizens.  You do not want to run afoul of the law in any of our fair states.  In reading this and the past lists, how many are you in danger of doing?

Continued Legal Contemplations

When I was looking over all these laws it did make me wonder about the folks who decided to introduce them into their state legislative bodies, and about those who agreed with the need for these particular items being enacted.

Massachusetts      -  No gorilla is allowed in the back seat of any car.  (Oh, yeah.  This
                                 had to be a consistent threat to the population.)
Michigan             -   It is illegal for a man to scowl at his wife on Sunday.  (Now this
                                 could actually lead to a more civil home life for those who indulge
                                 in the behavior.  But was there so many scowlers in the state that
                                 it was necessary to stop it legally?)
Minnesota            -   A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head.  (So
                                 many things one could say about this, but I'll just take a pass and
                                 let it speak for itself.)
Mississippi           -   In Tylertown it is unlawful to shave in the center of Main Street.
                                  (I would think it would also be inconvenient as well.  You'd have
                                  to assemble all the necessities with a little water as well.  It just
                                  couldn't be worth all the trouble.)
Missouri               -   It is illegal to install bathtubs with the four legs resembling animal
                                  paws.  (Was there a fear that in the middle of the night the legs
                                  would become alive with a porcelain body and chase the home's
                                  inhabitants around the premises?  Who knows?)
Montana               -   Wives of the state, beware.  It is a felony for you to open your
                                  husband's mail.  (Does this apply if he is on a business trip and
                                  asks her to do so?)
Nebraska              -   It is illegal to go whale fishing.  (Okay, Nebraska is slap dab in the
                                  middle of the 48 contiguous United States.  Not an ocean anywhere
                                  for many a mile.  Just how many opportunities will you have to
                                  actually break this law?  Hmmm.)
Nevada                 -   It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway.  (There probably aren't
                                  too many camels in the state now.  If my history is correct there were
                                  camels introduced in some few desert states in the hopes of better
                                  transportation.  I doubt many still exist, but then I could be wrong.)
New Hampshire   -   You are not allowed to tap your feet, nod your head, or in any way
                                 keep time to the music in taverns, restaurants or cafes.  (Whoa!  Not
                                 a place prone to elicit good time feelings, wouldn't you say?)
New Jersey          -   A man is breaking the law if he insists on knitting during fishing
                                 season.  (Somehow I just don't get the connection between these
                                 two activities.)

The nice thing about looking at all these laws is the realization that all states have something on the books that we would find just plain odd.  Not one can claim superiority in clear thinking.  Wouldn't you like to sit down and have a chat with the folks who bring these up for consideration?  And there is more to come.

You've Got to Stay Legal

It's always fun to look at what folks have felt necessary to legislate all across the country and over many years.  And unfortunately many of these laws stay on the books for what seems like forever.  I looked at laws in 10 states earlier.  Today, let's look at the next ten in alphabetical order.

Hawaii          -  You can not own a mongoose without a permit.
Idaho            -  You may not fish from a camel's back in the state.  And in the state capitol of
                         Boise you may not fish from a giraffe's back.  (Neither of these animals are
                         native to the state, so I would think you wouldn't see them just everywhere.
                         What would incline one to think of them as fishing platforms?)
Illinois          -  It is illegal to cut the tail off a horse.
Indiana         -  Baths may not be taken between the months of October and March.
Iowa             -  A man with a moustache may never kiss a woman in public.
Kansas         -  If two trains meet on the same track, neither shall proceed until the other has
                        passed.  (This same law was enacted in several other states with almost the
                        exact same wording.)
Kentucky     -  It is illegal to remarry the same man four times.  (No mention about a man's
                        ability to remarry the same woman multiple times.)
Louisiana    -  In New Orleans you can not tie an alligator to a fire hydrant (something I'm
                       sure the firemen are proud about).
Maine          -  You need a permit to have a pig scramble.
Maryland     -  It is illegal to take a lion to the movies.

There you have it.  Now you know how to behave in a legal fashion in a few more of our states.  So have fun, but take care and stay out of jail.

10 Laws in 10 States

I really enjoy Bill Engvall's comedy.  He's the guy that came up with the "Here's your sign" bits of comedic wisdom.  States are like his musings.  The laws (like his signs) came about because of perceived problems with the behavior of the citizenry.  Or Mother Nature.  A little research came up with the following:

Alabama        -  One may not have an ice cream cone in the back pocket at any time.
Alaska           -  A person may not carry a concealed slingshot if that person has not
                         received the appropriate license.
Arizona         -  Donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs.
Arkansas       -  The Arkansas River can rise no higher than the Main Street Bridge in
                         Little Rock.
California      - It is illegal to eat oranges in the bathtub.
Colorado       -  In Denver it is illegal to loan your vacuum cleaner to your neighbor.
Connecticut  -  In order for a pickle to be officially a pickle, it must bounce.
Delaware      -  It is illegal for anyone to fly over any body of water unless one is
                         carrying sufficient supplies of food and water.
Florida         -  If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter the parking fee has to be
                         paid just as if it would for a vehicle.
Georgia        -  Donkeys may not be kept in the bathtub.  This is a stricter law than
                        the one written in Arizona.  And this state is more lenient than Alabama
                        in that in Georgia you may not have ice cream in your back pocket on
                        Sundays.

What strange creatures we humans be.  Sometimes you just have to scratch your head and wonder, "What was going on that it seemed reasonable to come up with these laws?"  We may never know, and some of these may at some point be removed from the books.  But somehow, it seems it is easier to just leave them alone and keep on making new ones as we progress through life.