Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-12-30
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Made 10 Serve the Ends of Justice
 h 8 Case in Japan.
THE FUSE OF { WISE MAYOR.

This Solomon He 9Fie'a}, 10 Whom 51
 innocent Ms7 Accused of Thefs Ap.
 pealed, Devised e Simple Scheme
 That Diac'o i ti7E Res=l cuIpeita.
 One u>tH servant employed Ivy the proprietor ot t D ' store ucar jaI.l.= bridge, in Yed,lo, vas sent with heavy pack of y:liEai3e cotton goods on his back to a dyer in !fonjo distri t. When the stores IT esSenEer reached Yollo- gawa strc' nA was ready to seek rest. What nor Stfc than the little grove of trees set aoout tho stone statue of the god Jizo, the patron saint Of tray elers and defNnselees woman and chill dren.
 The somnolent porter awo'yc from . nap to find that his employers cotton had disappeared. In great di~trr.. b." went to the storekeeper and ccn,c*s,"i that he had slept and that q robh"r had made of Mith the goods during i., slumhcr The master would not h"- ;ieve lis story. saying that 1t would have been impossible for q robber 'o make off with 50 large q bundle in broad daylight Unless the portrr should pay for the lost good hH Wor.d have to go to prison, said the master. In .'.:aair tife porter took counsel of AHt& .~' A-,};l.
 .'Ytu aie certainly to blame for a1v ing f@llc} &>;leep" reProved t0e may"s. "nut ,'ilc iS eqra'ly to bi"me, ivy *e i; q god bound 5e protect every rhe who trusts in him, and in this t,ls,'ai''.e be has E;.iraNcd you. l will have hfn arrest ed and brought before me sor tr:tl"
 O.oNa gave immediate orders to hiS court officers to 20 and arrest the ,''zr of Yolsogawa street and brir" N'J" 9c fore the mayors seat for trial 1lha" of the officers departed on ti4cir 11is- sion. They first bound the arms of the stone god with coils of rope; ther they tried to lift him from his tr1r ,w,l. etal into a cart. \ c.'a"t croWI as.;e.'f.>intl haf,eln t'ee .'iEo. attracted t'i. t.!r Enj'>iiai bei,asi9: .. f,;H rGu''' ci:ercs's When they Nar1z 'H'si t!' .fi,." bad 10 20 hefots, tte i1ANor fer .,i1. tho citizens nG}:Ve!sh.
 lio ,,,sl; ec 1'Hse4tt::s.;s 90 "e& N.a~ 700 .}u"l for the ''lrco .ei,3t oNl"G"4 and thny sonnht aid of those standit' ahoGt. Tkey promised that ill r"cd,H for asGiStaNce they would admit H' volunteer workers into the cGurtroon to witness the eXtra0fdinary trial Hundreds were spurred by culiast' to lend hand, and when the stoui god went through the streets strapped to a cart like an offender the croNt grew. It filed the great hall of jt@,,et when Iizo was placed before the plat form upon which sat the mayor. O-otl't addressed the god in stern words
 "You are a negligent fool, o Jiz0. he exclaimed in a voice loud enouG!' for all to hear. "You are supposed. to protect every one who believes + you and who renders tribute, ye. th1s trusting porter here made q prayer t. you, then fell asleep at your feet, aI,' he was robbed while he slept. Yop stand accused of being an accompiir. in this robbery. Have you anything tc say for yourself before I pass sen. tencc?"
 Mayor O-olsa waited for a few nc mcnts IS if expecting the stony lips cf Jizo to open in reply, but when no answer was ma6e by the god lie pass ed sentence immediats,T '.
 Since you Go Bet defend yourself consider that you arc guilty said his honor, "and l shall impr.son you." At this rerlarkablc spectacle Of mayor passing seatence unon q stone god tharo WIS B titter of l9uoht"r O-oka thundered in q voice of brass.
 Who are all these people standn@ about hCre:' he inquired Of his court officers. "..re they accol~pl;ccs of .lizo or only plain thieves? They think this ro'-rt is a penny show and they lauGt, at the courts orders. Shut all tnr gates at once"'
 The scared attendants hastcned t. shut the gates of the courtroom. Then Mayor O-oka adjudged every man ia the great crowd in contempt of cour, and fined each of them one tan Ca ki- mono len4th) of cotton cloth. The hun dreds thus suddenly found in contempt were happy that their punishment had been so light at least, and under bonds they hurried to their homes to brin" back the cloth fine. Before the dAy was done TOO pieces of cotton cloth had been presented before the mayor court. the name of each culprit bei"" set down upon the one tan of cotton cloth which he presented.
 Before he would allow the 700 to 20. however. O-oka retired with the DOT ter who had been rcbbed to an inn; chamber. and he asked the porter so look over the 700 pieces of cotton cloth and see if he conld identify cl.y of them as having been once in the pack he had carried. Since every r,an- ufacturer of cotton cloth in yedIo a!- ways marked the selyare of each strip with q little red trademark sta,np the porter searched the edges of the many strips of cloth for q stamp similar to that borne or t'1e cloth of which ha L . 41x