Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-08-05
AN IDOL IN COURT
Made to Serve the Ends of Justice
 In a Case In Japan.
THE RUSE OF A WISE MAYOR,
This SelomonIike Official, to Whom an Innocent Mao Accused of Theft Ap- That Disciosed the Real Culprits.

Tha. pisciosed the Real Culprits.
 One day servant employed by the proprietor of big store near Japan bridge, in Yed,lo, was sent with heavy pack of valuable cotton goods on his back to dyer in Honjo district When the stores messenger reached Yoko gawa stres ne was ready to seek rest What mof snfe than the little grove of trees set about the stone statue of the god Jizo the patron saint of trav. elers and detenseless woman and chil dren.
 The somnolent porter awoke from 8 nap to find that his employers cotton had disappeared. In great distress he went to the sAorekeeper and confessed that he had slept and that robbeI had made off with the goods during h:s slumher The master would not be have been impossible for robber to make off with so large a bundle io broad daylight. Unless the portor 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,
 "Ycu are certainly to blame for hsy Ing fallen asleep,' reproved the mayor, but Jizo Is equally to blame, for se Is god bound to protect evert ene who trusts in him, and in this instance be has betrayed you. I will have him arrested and brought before ne for trial"
 O-oSa gave immediate orders to his 1 court officers to go and arrest the SiZc of Yekogawa street and bring bin ae fore the mayors seat for trial. Three of the officers departed on their Icis. sion. They first bound the arms of the stone god with coils of rope; ther they tried to lift him from his firE pedestal into cart. A great crowd assembled before the Jizo. attracted by the unusual behavior of the court officers. When they were told tlat Jizo had to go before the mayor for 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 al. volunteer workers into the courtroom to witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were spurred by curiosity to lend hand, and when the stone god went through the streets strapped to Il cart like an offender the crowd 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 d negligent fool, o Jizo!' l he exclaimed In voico loud enough l for all to hear. "You are supposed to protect every one who believes Tn 1 you and who renders tribute yet this trusting porter here made prayer te you, then fell asleep at your feet, and he was robbed while he slept. You stand accused of being an accomplice in this robbery. Have you anything to say for yourself before pass gen. tenee?'
 Mayor O-oka waited for a few mo- ments as If expecting the stony lips of Iizo to open fin reply, but when no answer was made by the god he pass cd sentence immediately.
 "Sinee you do not defend yourself l consider that you are guilty said his honor, .and I shall imprison you At this remarkable spectacle of a 1 mayor passing sentence upon stone god there was litter of laughter O-oka thundercd in voice of brass. "Who are all these people standing about here?" he inquired of his court l officers. Are they accompliees of Ji2o or only plain thieves? They think this court Is a penny show, and they laugh at the courts orders. Shut all the gates at onecN'
 , The scared attendants hastened to shut the gates of the courtroom. Then Mayor O-olla adiudsed every man in the great crowd in contempt of court and fined each of them one tan ta Xii mono lengtM 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 bring back the cloth fine. Before the day was done TOO pieces of cotton cloth had been presented before the mayors court, the name of each culprit being set 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 robbed to an inner chamber. and he asked the porter to look over the 700 pieces of cotton cloth and see if he could identify any of them as having been once ill the l pack he had carried. Since every man ufacturer of cotton cloth in Ycddo al ways marked the selvage of each strip with a little red trademark stamp the l porter searched the edges of the many strips of cloth for a stamp similar to that borne en the cloth of which he had been robbed He found that two of the pieces of cloth brought to pay he mayors fine bore the stamp of his plundered pack Instantly Mayor O-oka gave orders for the arrest of the l two men who had brought this cloth