Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-03-14
THE RUSE OF A WISE MAYOR.

or trees set 8OOuC the stone statue O1 the god Jixo. the patron saint of tray. elers and detnnseless woman and chil. d-en.
 The somnolent porter awoke from a nap to find that his employers cotton had disappeared. In great distress be went to the s&orekeeper and confessed that he had slept and that a robbeJ had made on with the goods during hi+ slumber. The master would not be neve his story, saying that 1t would have been impossible for robber 10 make of with so large a bundle 10 broad daylight Unless the port,T should pay for the lost goods he would have to go to prison, said the master. In despair the porter took counsel of Mayor O-oka.
 "You are certainly to blame for hay ing fallen asleep" reproved the mayor, "but Jizo is equally to blame, for s'e is god bound to protect every coe who trusts in him. and in this instarce be has betrayed you. 1 will have him arrested and brought before Dle :or trial"
 O.osa gave immediate orders to his court officers to go and arrest the Siz' of Yokogawa street and bring him ce fore the mayors seat for trial. Tlr'ep of the officers departed on their 1tis' sion. They first bound the arms of the stone god with coils of rope; ther they tried to lift him from his tirn ;. ,l.,J s,,IN n,.t A ,{ assembled before the Jizo, attracted tr the unusual behavior of the court officers. When they were told that Jizo had to go before the mayor for trial The citizens marveled.
 The task of uilseating 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 nH volunteer workers into the courtroom 10 witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were spurred by curiosity to lend hand. and when the stone god went through the streets strapped to a cart like an offender the crowo grew. It filled the great hall of justice when Jizo was placed before the plat form upon which sat the mayor. O-oka addressed the god in stern words.
 "You are negligent fool, o Jizo!' he exclaimed in voicS loud enough for all to hear. You are supposed to protect every one who believes fc you and who renders tribute, yet this trusting porter here made a prayer tc you, then fell asleep at your feet, anc he was robbed while he slept. You stand accused of being an accomplice in this robbery. Have you anything to say for yourself before l pass sen tenccy
 Mayor O-oka waited for few mo- mehts as if expecting the stony lips of | 'Jizo to open in reply, but when nc answer was made by the god he pass ed sentence immediately.
 "Since you do not defend yourself l consider that you are guilty" said his honor, land shall imprison you" At this remarkable spectacle of h mayor passing sentence upon a stone god there was a litter of laughter O-oka thundered in voice of brass.
 "Who are all these people standing about here2" he inquired of his court officers. "Arc they accomplices of Jizt or only plain thieves? They think this court is a penny show, and they lausl at the courts orders. Shut all the 1 gates at once!'
 The scared attendants hastcncd tt ! shut the gates of the courtroom. Ther Mayor O-oka adjudged every man 1T the great crowd in contempt of cour' and fined each of them one tan Ca ki mono length) of cotton cloth. The hun dreds thus suddenly found in contemr were happy that their punishment hat been 30 light at least. md under bonds they hurried to their homes to brin: back the cloth hne Before the da! was done 700 pieces of cotton cloti had been presented before the mayors court. the name of each culprit beln, set down upon the one tan of cottol
 cloth which he presented.
 Before he would allow the zoo to go
 however. O-oka retired with the DOT
 ter who had been robbed to an inne
 chamber. eand he asked the porter t
 look over the 700 pieces of cottol cloth and see if he could identify an
 of them as having been once in th pack he had carried. Since every man
 ufacturer of cotton cloth in Yeado al
 ways marked the selvage of each stri with little red trademark stamp th
 porter searched the edges of the nan
 strips of cloth for a stamp similar [ that borne on the cloth Of which Il
 had been robbed. He faund thGt tw [ of the pieces of cloth brought to n"
 the mayors fine bore tho stssan ef hi
 plundered pack. Instantly Mayo
 O-oka gave orders for the arrest of t.
 two men who had brought this c}ots
 They confessed to the robbery. snd 2 of the cloth they had taken from tn , sleeping porter's pack was restored
 him-Japan Magazine.
 To accept good advice is but to Il
 crosSs ona's own abiiit-r-(SOethe