An Irishman's Adventure in Early Brooke Co., VA/WV Although the early days of the settlements here were times of considerable trouble and discomfort to the people, yet they had many occasions to celebrate in which the full sum of endanger, events often happened of the most ludicrous character. An old citizen related to us an event that transpired at old fort Edgington, which stood on the Virginia side of the river nearly opposite where Steubenville now stands, that admirably illustrate the fact, that into whatever position an honest Irishman is placed, he generally manages to make the most of it possible. One day about the close of the last century, a number of horsemen were heard in the vicinity of the fort, and suspicion was strong that it was Indians. A large scouting party left the fort in the evening to reconnoitre along the trail. After proceeding some distance without seeing any signs of the braves, and night was approaching, and not wishing to spend it in the forests in those dangerous times, they resolved to return to the fort, and the next day make a further reconnoisance. Shortly after turning back, they came to a small log cabin, which although, quite a cosy and comfortable spot was then tenantless. Now with the party was an Irishman, who had but lately come from the old country, and who had but a day or two before arrived at the fort, and had not yet had the satisfaction of seeing an Indian in full war costume. The Irishman, when he arrived at the hut and saw how comfortable it looked, determined to go no further, but would spend the night there and wait till his companions returned next morning. He could not be induced to change his determination, so they moved off and left him in his comfortable quarters. A large fire place was in one corner of the cabin, and a few slabs were stretched along the joists, up to which, after eating his little lunch, the Irishman climbed, and stretched himself for slumber. He was soon comfortable wrapped in the arms of Morpheus, and his dreams were doubtless of the far-off Erin land, when he was suddenly awakened by a loud jabbering of voices outside, and immediately the door was opened, a number of parties came in, set their guns in a corner, and proceeded to kindle a fire and cook some eatables. The Irishman, knowing full well that it was a band of redskins, maintained a deathly stillness for some time, but curiosity overcame the more discreet impulses of his nature, and he determined to take just one peep at the reds and see what matter of men they were. No sooner thought of that he put his project in execution and began to climb quietly along the slab he was on, to make an observation. He reached the end, stretched himself cautiously over to take a look, when the treacherous slap uplifted and landed the Hibernian right in the middle of the circle. He had hardly touched the floor when he bounded up again, yelling at the top o his voice, "Be Jasus, ye are all prisoners," and stretched his brawny arms for fight. The astonished troop of redskins, however, whose superstitious fears made them imagine that this huge mass of humanity was some thunderbolt hurled by the arm of the Great Spirit, broke out from the cabin with hideous yells and darted into the obscurity of the forest, leaving their guns in the hut. There was no more sleep for Pat that night, who remained faithfully at his post, blockading the door, and in the morning he was sound condition by his friends to who he turned over quite a number of guns and other Indian accoutrements. (Abstracted from History of the Pan-Handle, West Virginia, Pg. 316)