Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-03-05
AN IDOL IN COURT
Made to Serve the Ends of Justice
 In a Case In Japan.
THE RUSE OF A WISE MAYOR.

pealed, Devised Simple Scheme
 That Disciosed the Real Culprits. One day a servant employed by the proprietor of big store near Japan bridge in Yedio, was sent with heavy pack of valuable cotton goods on his
 back to dyer in Honjo district When | the stores messenger reached Yoko- | sawa stree ht was ready to seek rest. What m0r safe than the little grove | of trees set aoout the stone statue of
 the god Jizo. the patron saint of trav- elers and defenseless woman and chil- l dren.
 The somnolent porter awoke from a
 nap to find that his employers cotton l had disappeared. In great distress be went to the sAorekeeper and confessed that he had slept and that robbeI
 had made ofr with the goods during his slumher. The master would not be- ,ieve his story, saying that it would have been impossible for robber to
 make off with so large bundle iu broad daylight. Unless the porter l should pay for the Host goods he would have to go to prison, said the master. ! Tn despair the porter took counsel of Mayor O-oka.
 "Ycu are certainly to blame for hsv. I ing fallen asleep" reproved the mayor, | but .Jize is equally to blame. for :-e l Is god bound to protect evert ono
 who trusts in him. and in this instal;ae | De has betrayed you. l will have htm l arrested and brought before ple For
 trial"
 O-o&a gave immediate orders to his
 court officers to go and arrest the !izo
 of YolSogawa street and bring birl oe I fore the mayors seat for trial. 1'lrea I of the officers departed on their 1eis- ] sion. They first bound the arms of the stone god with coils of rope; ther they tried to lift him from his 6rlc 1 pedestal fnto a cart. A great crowd ! assembled before the Jizo, attracted t1y the unusual behavior of the court
 officers. When they were told that
 .yizo had to go before the mayor for
 trial the citizens rnarveled.
 The task of unseating 'fhe god was too much for the three court officers
 and they sought aid of those standing
 about. They promised that in return 1 for assistance they would admit a!.
 volunteer workers into the courtroom
 to witness the extraordinary trial
 Hpqndreds were spurred by curiosity
 to lend hand. ard when the stone
 god went through the streets strappe('
 to < cart like an offender the crow0
 grew It filed the great hall of justicr
 when JiZo was placed before the plat
 form upon wkich sat the mayor. O-oka
 addressed the god i'll stern words.
 '"Yall are a negligent fool. % Jizo:" he exclaimed dn a voice loud enough \ for aK to hear. ''YoN are supposed: { to protect every one who believes ic ! yo,l 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. HYou
 ssand accused of being an accomplics l in this ,rSUbery. MaHesy0u anything to
 say for yourself before I pass gen teNee:'
 r. Mayor '0sOka waited for a few 'nao
 lmexts as if expecting the stony lips "df ..Jize to .epem in reply. but when MO answer was made 'bg the god 'l,ase ed sentence Immediately.
 ''Since you do not defend yourself sI consider that you are guilty said 'has honor, -'and shall inlprison ysu:' l At this remarkable spectacle of a
 mayor passing sentence upon a stone god there was litter of laughter l O-oka tlrundered iin a MGiae of brass. ~'Who are all these people staNdinG
 about here?" he Inquired of his court
 officers. "Are they accemIAices of .3izo
 or only plain thieves? They think tNis
 court is a penny sha'w, and they la,tsh
 at tfe courts orders. Shut all fths
 gates at once"c'
 The scared attendants hastened tt. shut tine gates of the eOurtrOe,aa,. eThAN
 Mayor O-oka aAjudged every man ih
 the great crowd in contempt .of c0urt and fined each of them one tau ta 'ki-
 mono lengfh9 of cotton clsth. The httl,- dreds thus suddenly found in contempt were happy that their punishment h'd been so light at least. and under bonds they hurried to their homes ito bring back the cloth fine. Before the day was done 700 pieces of cotton cloth had been presented before the nsayoi's court. the name of each eUlprit being
 set down upon tie 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 pack he had carried Since every man. ufacturer of cotton cloth in Yeddo al- ways marked the selvage of each stria with a little red trademark stamp the porter searched the edges of the many strips of cloth for stamp similar to that borne on the cloth of which he had been robbed He found that two of the pieces of cloth brought to pay the mayors fine bore the stamp of his plundered pack. Instantly Mayor