Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-06-02
AN !D0L. IN COURT
Made 10 Serve the Ends Of Justic !
 In q Case h Japan.
THE FUSE OF 4 WISE MAYOR,

proprietor Of big store near Japa4 bridge, in Yedslo, was sent with a heavy pack of valuable cotton goods on bis back to dyer in Honjo district. When the stores messenger reached Yoko+ gawa stres nn was ready to seek rest What mof safe than the little grove of trees set about the stone statue of the god Jizo. the patron saint of tra~ elors and detcnseless woman and chi! d-eD
 The somnolent porter awole from oap to find that his employers cotton had disappeared. Tn great distress he went to the seorekeeper and confessed .!;at he had slept and that robher had made off with the goods during his slupher The master would not h', 'ieve his story, saying that 1t wonsj have been impossible for a robber 'n make off with so large a bundle io broad daylight. Unless the port"r should pay for the lost goods he won I nave to go to prison, said the master Tn despair the porter took counsel of Mayor O-oka
 
 Ing fallen asleep' reproved the IGayor but Jizo is equally to blame for 'e Es a god bound to protect every one who trusts in him, and in this inStarae be has betrayed you. l will have hnn arrested and brought before Dle Cor trial"
 D.oAa gave immediate orders to hls court officers to go and arrest the .'lZ' If InlSogavva street and bring hirl ne fore the mayors seat for trial. 1lh'"" of i!ae officers departed "n their l@is sion They first bound the arms oi the stone god with coils of rope; thel they .ried to lift ,ln from his tiri; | '' .ies+al into q cart \ great croW3 assembled befprA inc .Ii3n. attracted hv the unusual behavior of the court ,ti'crrS. When they were told that iZo had to % i.eforc the mayor for tiial the citizens maryeled
 The task of unSeating the god Wn~ 700 much for the thr~c court offlc ars and they sought aid of those standing about They promised that in return for assistance they would admit ni volunteer workers into the courtroom to witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were Spurred by curlosit! to lend a hand, and when the stone god went through the streets strapped | to cart like an offender the crowd grew It filled the great hall of justice l when Jizo was placed before the plat | form upon which sat the mayor. O-olS;' l addressed the god in stern words. You are negligent fool, o JfZo!' l he exclaimed fin voice loud endugl' 1 for all to hear "You are supposed: to protect every one who believes 1T you and who renders tribute. yet this trusting porter here made prayer t. you, then fell asleep at your feet, ant | he was robbed while he slept. You 1 stand accused of being an Arcomnli"' in this robbery. Have you anything tf say for yourself before pass selt l tence?'
 Mayor O-oka waited for a few mo l ments as if expecting the stony lips ct JiZo to open in reply, but when nc answer was made by tho god he pass ed sentence immediately.
 "Since you do not defend yourself , 1 consider that you are guilty" said hi, honor, "and shall imprison you"
 At this remarkable spectacle of :. mayor passing sentence upon a stoat | god there was a litter of l"Tchter l O-oka thundered in d voice Of brass "Who are all these people standine about here?" he Inquired of his cour; l officers Are they accomplices of Ji2t or only plain thieves? They think this court is penny show. and they iau@i at the courts orders. Shut all the gates at once"'
 The scared attendants hastcncd t. shut the gates of the courtroom. Thaa l Mayor O-OFa adjUdged every man in fhe f~reat crowd in contempt of court and fined each of them one tan ta kl
 mono length) of cotton cloth. The hum drcds thus suddenly found i'll contempt ] were happy that their punishment h"d l been so light at least. and under hond-
 rhey hurried to their homes to Drin@ ,bark the cloth fine. Before the day
 was done TOO pieces of cotton clo:i 1 court, the name of each culprit being set down upon tho one tan of cotton
 cloth which he presented.
 Before he would allow the TOO 10 go
 however. O-oka retired with the por
 ter who had been robbed to an innc, chamber. and he asked the porter t. look over the TOO pieces O. 'ottor cloth and see if he could idantifv a'} of them as having been on"" in the | pack he had carri:d. Sine every rl"n hfacturer of cotton cloth in Yeflio al ways marked the selvHge of each Strii
 with lsttle red trademark stamp tias
 porter searched the edges of the many
 strips of cloth for stamp si.:1i'r if that borne on the cloth of whic'i h' had been robbed. He fnund that tr1 eff the pieces of clot'i brou@ht to n:'.
 he mayors fine bore the stamp of his
 plundered pack. lnstantly Mayo,
 O-oka gave orders for the arrest of f .
 two men who had brought this c'o.i
 They confessed to the robbery, and. j of the cloth they had taken from tht l sleeping Dorters pack was restored t.