The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-06
OF OLD JAPA
FOLK IORE sr0RT mar COZ
BICK 70 FECDiL DAYS
rhe Mayer 90 Neds WhS Arvessed g..
aWd sentenced HSTn 90 Iunpsssosrne
oct ENtdrnre IN rtsat WsS VIA a.
90 the Arrest 90 BslghWay R"'e-r

Somsbody said recently tina. the
! tive story u a. old a. The pyrarndA.
that some Of the Arabian Nights
cast The Murders IN the Rue Nom
and "A Study ia Scarlet by thouri
wears and more. but NO bsttor prod'F
the cafhoIioity Of the detective story1n
lie found than that offered 10y FEY
IApan, which produced the tale of
arrest Of tho stone god Jiso.
In this folk story OF ancient Nedo
hero detective moves with all the sea
ing indirection Of Lecoq ard sherlo
HOLMES his mArvels 10 perform 90
was he. Mayor oT Yedo under the sigh
Shotgun and holder OF the high tustH
and the low over all tho merchants
TokuRawa's capital.
This O-oka resolved . salary 81 iOoi
kohu OF rice. and Mime. Y. Osaki, who y
the wife Of the present Mayor OF Toxic
Co!a Yedo renarnedD and who 10 the chroo1
icIer OF the craft Of o-oka In the LaPS't
uacasine. says that the old chap earned
his salary ten times over. Here 10 the
story:
one day a servant employed BY the
proprietor Of . big store near japan
Rridx. in Yedo was vent with . heavy |
mack OF valuable cotton goods on his back
10 a dyer in HOMO district. When the
stores messenger reached Yokogaws
street he was ready TO seek rest. What
more safe invitation could have offered
than the little grove OF trees set about the
stone statue Of the god JiDo. the patron
vaint OF travellers and defenceless women
and childrenl
The sonnolsnt porter awoks from =
MAO 10 find that hin employer . cotton had
iisappeared In great distress be vent
20 the ueoTekesper and confessed thnt he
had slept and that . robber had made on
with the goods during his slumb~r. The
master would not believe his story, saying
that Il would have been impossible for
robber TO make on with 81 large a bundle
IN broad daylight. Unless the porter
should pay for the lost goods he would
have TO 20 to prison. said the muster
In despair the porter took counsel 81
Mayor O-oks
you are certainly TO blame for having
fallen asleep reprOved the Mayor. but
Jizo N equally 10 blame. for he 70 q god
bound TO protect every ons ~ho trusts
IN hin, and IN this instance he Las be-
trayed YOU Even though J,so -
Budciha 7 canno, pardon HIM for the
neglect Of duty Twin have him arrested
and brought before me for trial
p-oka gave immediate orders IN hDS
court odHcers 10 20 and arrest the JiS"
Of YokoRawa street ard bring him before
the Mayors seat for trial Three OI Inc
Officers departed on their mission Ch"v
first bound the arms 81 the stone al
With coils Of rope; then they tri~d 10 40
him from HE firm pedestal into art
A great crowd assembled before the JT".
attracted by the unusual bshsvIoT ~ ~
court oficers when they see ...'.
that Jizo had to 90 before the Mayor &c.
trial the citizens NJ lo kOEswa stree
and all the neighIorhcoh ~ Honjo rnr-
yelled
The task Of unseat ug ~. god w. TO"
much for the three cour. oAicers nj
thew sought AID OF those - ndinE boy
They promised tina, IN return for s=.-i
ance they would admit all vslunie"
workers into the court room TO witns@-
the extraordinary trial Hundreds wsr"
spurred by curiosity 10 lend a hand nj
when the stone god went through a..
streets strapped TO q carr like any ohoncs'
the crowd grew u filed the greet bell
OF justice When Izo was lifted ~ rnh
propped up before the platform upcr
which sat the Mayor. O-oka addressed
the god in stern words
You are a negligent fool. o JiZo
be exclaimed IN voice loud enough fov
every one Who believes IN you aud who
renders tribute. yet this Trusting porter
here made q prayer 90 you. then fellsslser
az your very feet and he vas robb>d
being an Accomplice N this robbery
HavS you anything to say for yourself
before pAas sentsnce?-
Mayer o Okla waited for few moments
az n expecting the stony hps OF JtBo 10
open in reply but when no answer vac
made by the god he passed sentence
Sine 70! YOU do 30, not :, A. .,,, yoyr:s;t
Honor and I shall impVison you
A. this remarkable spectacle OF Mayo
Wasting sentence upon a stone god there
was litter o. laughter. o-oka Numbered
Who are all these people Standing
about here?' he inquired Of be court
onicers. Are they aooomplics ~ JiZo
or only plain thieves They -hink this
the Court ordeTs. shut all tie gates az
once
The scared attendants hastepad 20 shut
the gates Of the court room. hen Mayo
crowd ~ con,empt o. court and hneJ
each 81 them one tan - kimsno length
~ cotton cloth. The hundred thus sud
denly found in contempt vero happy
that their punishment. had bon 90 Ugh,
at least. and under bonds thy hurried
To their homes 20 bring bach the cloth
fine. Before the day wss donsT00 pieces
Of cotton cloth had bsen presented before
the Mayors court. the name q each cul
prit being set down upon the Sps tan cf
cotton cloth which he pressnte..
BEFORE hs would allow the N 20 a.
however. O-oka retired with ne porter
who had been robbed 90 an inneichamb~r
and he asked the porter 20 loosoysr the
5O0 piec~s of cotton cloth and SO " no
Could indemnity any of them = havu,g
been once in the pack he hss carried
since every manufacturer ~ cotton cloth
IN Yedo always marked the ~4vage ~
each strip with = little red tndeluark
stamp the porter searched the edges Ut
The many strips ~ cloth for = siahp siGni-
lar ~ that boyDs On the cloth otNh'rh be
had been rubhcd He found tha two ~
the pieces ~ Goth brought 10 ray ths
Mayors fine bore the stamp Of Ne PUN.
,ierssd pack Instantly Mayor O5ka ga,~
orders for the arrest Of the two men VIII
had brought this cloth; they aOOees-s,l
III