Official ghost hunters website

I have had the pleasure of being contact with

Ray Finchum
Director
Old Dominion Paranormal Investigators

He has sent us some very wonderful and informative articles written by himself.

I will post them here each time he sends an update.

Please do visit his website!

Apparitions

Received May 4,2003

Let me start off by saying I am not Author by any means. I was asked to write a series of Articles on certain Topics for a Friend of mine Allison. She is the Director of the Website Spirit Hunt. This particular article is on apparitions and violent death. This article will also include a very well known Case where an apparition sent a murderer to prison. Hope you all enjoy it.

Investigations and Research have shown that tragic, violent, mysterious or untimely deaths are the main reasons behind the majority of hauntings.

When an unexpected death occurs it robs the person of business that needed to be finished. This one of the reasons for an apparition to be Earth Bound if you will call it that. They have unfinished business left on Earth , such as the care of their minor children, home unfinished, and a majority of other reasons. Some apparitions come back because their home is being remodeled and they do not like what is going on. Lets move on shall we?

Another of the reasons for apparitions is the Tragic Death. Imagine if you will the following scenario. You are driving along with a loved one enjoying life, when all of a sudden you are involved in a car accident and die instantly. This is a form of Tragic Death. There are numerous reports of apparitions haunting the areas where they were tragically robbed of life. Examples of this would be the scene of a horrific automobile accident where a person or persons died tragically. Could be the scene of a devastating fire in an establishment that took lives.

Another of the reasons for Apparitions is the Violent Death. Imagine if you will being horrifically murdered by someone you loved or by someone whom you never knew in life. This is a form of Violent Death. This could be a wife murdered by her jealous husband, a boyfriend murdered by his ex-girlfriend and her new beau, it could be as simple as a simple peddler being murdered by the operator of the inn where the peddler was staying. These are examples of Violent Death.

So while doing your investigations and are told of a murder or suicide on the spot, check the local papers for reports of this murder or suicide. That way you can distinquish between facts and fiction. Now for a Famous Ghost tale that fits in all of these Categories at once. This is the Tale of the Greenbrier Ghost.

Let's take a trip back in time to the year 1896. This is the year of the beginnings of the Greenbrier Ghost. This ghost is even recorded in Public Records as having provided evidence against a murderer. Even though it was given by the mother of the deceased, the deceased told her mother all about it. Lets move on to the tale. This is a true tale from Greenbrier County, West Virginia.

Edward Shue and Zona Heaster were married in 1896. Edward was known to be a violent and unstable man. He had served time in prison for stealing a horse. His first two wives had died violent deaths under mysterious circumstances.

But no one had talked to Zona about this as they did not have time. The marriage was conducted at 1 a.m in Greenbrier County. None of Zona's Family was present. Only Edward and Zona and a witness and the Minister.

Well to continue our tale, two months after the marriage Zona died mysteriously. After her death Zona's mother (Mary Heaster) suspected her daughter's death was not of natural causes. She based her suspicions on three factors which were, one the reputation of Edward Shue and Secondly Edward's first two wives had died violent deaths under mysterious circumstances, thirdly he had served time in prison for stealing a horse.

That may not sound much to you dear reader but doing this time period horse stealing was a serious offense. Horse thieves were considered liars and not trusted at all.

Mary Heaster complained to everyone who would listen about her suspicions. But she could not receive permission to have her daughter exhumed to have an autopsy done. Finally on four occasions something happened to Mary that led her to believe that she was right about her suspicions.

Mary said that her daughter Zona had come to her bedside telling her that Edward Shue had indeed murdered her. Mary saw that Zona's neck was bent at an odd angle. Zona preceded to tell her mother that Edward came home from work as a blacksmith one day and had gotten infuriated with her and broken her neck.

Mary Heaster then went and talked to her brother-in-law whom she convinced to help her convince someone to exhume her daughter. Mary and her brother in law preceded to go to the Sheriff of Greenbrier County to demand an exhumation and autopsy.

After hours of convincing the Sheriff finally, though reluctanctly and still skeptical, ordered Zona's grave reopened and any Autopsy done. When the autopsy was over the Sheriff was skeptical no more. The Autopsy results did indeed show that Zona had died from a broken neck. How did her mother know this? She had not seen her daughter since her marriage to Edward Shue.

Edward was promptly arrested and tried and convicted on the testimony of a ghost, testimony that was passed along by her mother.

Zona is buried in the Soule Chapel Church Graveyard in Greenbrier County West Virginia. It states on her headstone she was the Greenbrier Ghost.

The Courtroom and trial records are still there for the curious. The records attest to the fact that a man was sent to prison for the remainder of his life based on the testimony of a ghost. Who would believe a story like that you say? Let's just say Twelve Upstanding People from the Greenbrier Community did as they were the Jury that convicted Edward Shue.

ODPI Familiarizations

Received May 4,2003

Director of ODPI (Old Dominion Paranormal Investigators)

Let me start this off by introducing myself to all of the WebSurfers. My name is Ray Finchum and I have been involved in Paranormal Investigations for going on Twelve years. I have seen and heard things throughout this time that most amateur ghosthunters would love to see or hear. Okay let me stop before someone claims I have a big head and am a bragger. For which I am not. So hopefully this article will give some of you the insight into my training and expertise. So here goes and to my friend Allison, I hope you like it.

I am trained and well versed in the different types of apparitions. I am knowledgeable in what causes a human spirit to remain earth bound and not cross over into the other life. I have been to sites and recorded EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomena) that shows the dearly departed do talk to us from beyond.

I have been attacked by malevolent forces. I was once choked so severely that I had fingerprints on my throats for weeks afterwards. I do not want persons interested in Paranormal Investigations to think that it is all Peaches and Cream. Its not. There are forces out here who will cause you harm and cause you bodily injuries.

In this field you may deal with Demons, Devils, Evil Spirits, call them what you will like. There are Demons always trying to find a foothold into our World. I even have a picture of a demon that a dear friend of mine took with a jewel in the middle of its forehead.

So what I am trying to point out is in this field you will not just be dealing with Human Entities but Demons as well depending on your investigation. ODPI does not condone the use of Ouija Boards as this opens portals to other worlds that should remain closed. What do I mean by this?

Using a Ouija Board gives that foothold to Demons that they are looking for. This opens practice of using this board opens your most sensitive psychic centers of your body, opening yourself up to possession or worse releasing something upon our realm that should not be here.

ODPI uses Scientific Equipment only in our Investigations. Such as: EMF (ElectroMagnetic Field)Meters; Infrared Cameras with separate Monitor with VCR hookup for recording those moments we need too; Infrared Digital Thermometer for checking and rechecking Temperature Drops; Omnidirectional Microphone that can record in a 360 degree circle this mike has a thirty foot cord attached so we do not pick up sounds of the tape recorder; Infrared Motion Detectors, yes believe it or not apparitions will set off motion detectors.

We also use Laser Pointers, which is good for detecting if an object is solid or vaporous. We also use a Hygrometer, which tells us the Humidity in a room as well as the Temperature. We have other equipment that I can not tell you about as they are secret practices of ODPI that we have found work very well.

To My friend Allison, hopefully one day yourself and my wife can get together and I will train you in these secret technigues so you can use them, LOL.

So In short ODPI has vast knowledge about all subjects concerning the Paranormal World.