Scottsville Speculates
All of Scottsville mused about the
ghost's identity. No one could figure
out why any normal human being
would, night after night, torture the
innocent Moon family. The residents
tried to think of those persons who
might hold a grudge against the
judge, possibly wanting revenge.
The most likely suspect seems to
be the notorious horse thief, Lucian
Beard. Judge Moon had once
sentenced him to a long jail term.
Had Beard feared further
prosecution? Wanted vengeance?
Years later the horse thief, jailed in
Richmond, wrote the Moons that if
Judge Moon would clear him he
would unravel the ghost story. The
Judge declined, however.
Perhaps the most mysterious
aspect of the entire Moon Ghost
episode surfaced when a
descendant, Frances Moon Butts,
made a 1933 visit to Dunster Castle
situated in northern England. The
twelfth century castle was the home
of the oldest known ancestor of the
Moon family.
While giving Mrs. Moon a tour of
the castle, the guide stopped on a
long flight of steps saying, "We call
