Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-06-28
iate 10 &$,strc .de Ea33 of Justice
In q Case In Japan.
THE RUSE OF A WISE MAYOR.
This soIomoniI<e Official, to Whom an Innocent Mao Accused of Theft Ap- pealed. Devised Simple Scheme That Disciosed the Real CuIprits.

proprietor of q big store near Japan bridge, in Yeddo. was sent with heavy pack of valuable cotton goods on his back to dyer In Honjo district When the stores messenger reached Yoko gawa stre' np was ready to seek rest What moi s1fe than the little grove of trees set about the stone statue Of the god Jizo. the patron saint of tray elers and detrnseless woman and chti d-en.
 The somnolent porter awoke from 5 nap to find that his employers cottoi, had disappeared. In great distress b.. went to the sSorekeeper and confesset, :hGt he had slept and that robbei had made off with the goods during h.e srmter. The master would not b.> lieve hls story, saying that 1t would have been impossible for robber ts mSlle of with so large a bundle in hrcad daylight Unless the porter should pay for the lost goods he won c have to go to prison, said the muster Tn despair the porter took counsel of Mayor O-oka
 lCu dic NCi tdliiy to plaiiS icl hD ing fallen asleep" reproved the rGav"r but .Jizo Is equally to blame, for :e Is god bound to protect every rnt who trusts in him. and in this in@tar"e be has betrayed you. I will have hun arrested and brought before me for rria1."
 O-,&a gave immediate orders to his court officers to go and arrest the .'iZ' of Yokogawa street and bring bin pe fore the mayors seat for trial. Tlnar of the officers departed on their lois sion They first bound the arms Of the stone god with coils of rope; theI they tried to lift him from his firl rodestal into a cart A great croWa assembled before the Jizo. attracted by the unusual behavior of the court officers. When they were told tl" Jizo had to go before the mayor f"f trial the citizens marveled
 The task of unseating the god was too much for the three court officers and they sought aid of those standing about They promised that in return for assistance they would admit nl volunteer workers into the courtroom to witness the extraordinary tfi9l Hundreds were spurred by curiositA to lend a hand. and when the ston' god went through the streets strapped to cart like an offender the crowS grew. It filled the great hall of justice when JiZo was placed before the plat form upon which sat the mayor. O-oki, addressed the god In stern words,
 You are negligent fool. O Iizor he exclaimed in voicv loud enough for all to hear. .'You are supposed to protect every one who believes tr you and who renders tribute, yet thi> trusting porter here made a prayer t. you. then fell asleep at your feet. anc he was robbed while he slept. You stand accused of being an accomplics in this robbery Have you anything to say for yourself before I pass sen, tence?"
 Mayor O-oka waited for few mo ments as If expecting the stony lips of Jizo to open In reply, but when no answer was made by the god he pass CQ sentence llntnculitelN.
 Since you do not defend yourself consider that you are guilty" said his honor. and I shall imprison you"
 At this remarkable spectacle of |. mayor passing sentence upon a stone god there was litter of laughter O-ola thundcred in a voice of brass.
 ''W'ho are all these people standing about here?" he inquired of his court officers. Are they accomplices of liZe or only plain thieves? They think this court Is Q penny show. and they laugh at the courts orders. Shut all the rateS at oncen'
 The scared attendants haStcned tu shut the gates of the courtroom. Then Mayor O-oka adiudged every man ill the great crowd in contempt of court and fined each of them one tan ia ki- mono lengthl of cotton cloth. The hun dreds thus suddenly found in contempt were happy that their punishment he'd been so light at least. and under bonds they hurried to their homes to bring back the cloth fine. Before the day was done roo ie@es of cotton cloth hcd been presented before the mayors court. the name of each culprit being Ser down upon the one tan of cotton cloth which he presented.
 Before he would allow the TOO to go however. O-oka retired with the DOT ter who had been I. ,Jb2d to an inner chamber. and he asked the porter to look over the 790 niocnS of corton cloth and sec fl he coU,d identity any of them as having hacn oaoe ia the pack he had carried Since every man. ufacturer Of cotton c!..h 'n Ee '-'o d. ways marked thn >:elv:.' ouch s'ria with a little red tr"dawar'; s'Hr>i, the porter searched the oo;~eS nf tGc tnanr stgi0s of cloth fo,' strmn sinli}ar to that borne on tl,a cie;h of which he had been ra' hed re found that two of the pieces ot cto'i hroucht to p"y 'hn mayors fac bore the stump of his rlupdercd pack. Iretauty Na"or O-oi-a gave cr6o,'s for .ho arrnSt of t'," two men who had bronght this cloth They confessed to the robbery, and all of the cloth they had taken from the sleeping porter's pack was. restored te