s and answers were the result of the
interview:

Q. "How old are you?"

A. "Twenty-eight years of age this coming March."

Q. "To whom did you belong?"

A. "Mrs. Jane E. Ashley."

Q. "What kind of a woman was she?"

A. "She was a very clever woman; never said anything out of the
way."

Q. "How many servants had she?"

A. "She had no other servants."

Q. "Did you live with her?"

A. "No. I hired my time for twenty-two dollars a month."

Q. "How could you make so much money?"

A. "I was a bricklayer by trade, and ranked among the first in
the city."

As Harrison talked so intelligently, the member of the Committee who was
examining him, was anxious to know how he came to be so knowing, the
fact that he could read being very evident.

Harrison proceeded to explain how he was led to acquire the art both of
reading and writing: "Slaves caught out of an evening without passes
from their master or mistress, were invariably arrested, and if they
were unable to raise money to buy themselves off, they were taken and
locked up in a place known as the 'cage,' and in the morning the owner
was notified, and after paying the fine the unfortunate prisoner had to
go to meet his fate at the hands of his owner."

Often he or she found himself or herself sentenced to take thirty-nine
or more lashes before atonement could be made for the violated law, and
the fine sustained by the enraged owner.

Harrison having strong aversion to both of the "wholesome regulations"
of the peculiar institution above alluded to, saw that the only remedy
that he could avail himself of was to learn to write his own passes. In
possessing himself of this prize he knew that the law against slaves
being taught, would have to be broken, nevertheless he was so anxious to
succeed, that he was determined to run the risk. Consequently he grasped
the boon with but very little difficulty or assistance. Valuing his
prize highly, he improved more and more until he could write his own
passes satisfactorily. The "cage" he denounced as a perfect "hog hole,"
and added, "it was more than I could bear."

He also spoke with equal warmth on the pass custom, "the idea of working
hard all day and then being obliged to have a pass," etc.,--his feelings
sternly revolted against. Yet he uttered not a disrespectful word
against the individual to whom he belonged. Once he had been sold, but
for what was no