Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-05-11
AN Idol. IN COURT
Made to Serve the Ends of Justice
In 4 Case In Japan.
THE PUsE or A WISE MAYOR.


One day a servant employed by the |
proprietor Of a big store near Japan
bridge, in Yed,io, was sent with a heavy
pack Of valuable cotton goods on his
back to a dyer In HOMO district When
the stores messenger reached Yoke
gawa sire, nt was ready to seek rest
What nor safe than the little grove
Of trees set aoout the stone statue OF
the god Jizo. the patron saint of trav.
elers and deccnseless woman and chtl
dren
The somnolent porter awoke from
nap to And that his employers cotton
| tad disappeared. In great distress be
went to the storekeeper and confessed
that he had slept and that a robbel
had made Off with the goods during his
slumher The master would not be-
lieve mis- story, saying that it wo'll3
have been impossible for robber Il
make off with so large q bundle il
broad daylight. Unless the porter
should pay for the lost goods he Won !
nave to go to prison. said the master
In despair the porter took counsel ct
Mayor O-oka
"Ycu are certainly to blame for ha'
| Ing fallen asleep" reprovea the mayer.
"but Jizc IS equally TO blame. for re
is god bound to protect every ''et
who trusts in him. and in this tnstal';:e
be has betrayed you. I will have him
arrested and brought before NE eos
trial"
O-.,,Sa gave immediate orders to HIS
| court officers to go and arrest the .'!2,
Of Yolsoc.lwa street and bring bin. 'e
fore the mayors seat fs'r trial. Glt1e,
of t,ae officers departed gu theft 1ai'.
sion. TF,ey ffrss hauEd the arms y,
the StolR, GOD 49,! c@ifs of rope, twsr
r!spy ,risa TO litl hi.a from his ff-'t
,.:..9s 4stai !nts, - cs'rs \ gleat e'i'@s'a
assembled nefnra the JiZo. attracted
hv $50 E,n1.Sual behavior OF the cfFflrt
,dT'rrrs. When fh"y were told f!rat
1;z. ia;pa to 20 before the mayor Gur
Il MA. he citizens lnai"yNled.
A I.rr .ssSk of UaSeafiM:s i've god Na';,s
| 90 much for the three e1clrf officers
att trey sunglet atH O.. those Fstanslns 5:
alorr. They promised that in re01In
for assistance they would adnTt nj
voluntee: workers ints the courtroom
4 TO witnass the extraordinary trial
Hundreds were spurTsed by cur1osit.
to lend hand. and when the stone
q god went through the streets STRAPPED
to a cart like an effea4der the crSwt
grew. 1t allied the great hall of justice
when Jize was placed ssefore the Fiat
H-sHyS
addressed the god in stern words.
n ~You are Negligent fool. 3aDc!'
y ne exclaimed in voice. loud en0uEi
/ for all to hear. 'You are supposed
to protect every one who believes sr
yo.l and who renders tribute, yet thi'
trusting porter here made prayer tf
you. then fell asleep at your feet. ane
he was robbed while he slept. Yee
( stand accused Of being an accomplict
in this robbery. Have you anything t.
say for yourself before l 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
cd sentence Immediately.
"Since you do not defend yourself
consider that you are guilty said bis
honor. land shall imprison you"
At this remarkable spectacle of :;
mayor passing sentence upon stone
god there was litter Of laughter
O-oka Numbered in voice of brass.
who are all these people standin"
about here?" he inquired of his court
officers care they accomplices of JfZ"
or only plain thieves? They think thi.
court is penny show, and they laugh
at the courts orders. Shut all the
gates at on"e!"
The scared attendants fastened IT,
shut the gates Of the courtroom. Then
Mayor O-Oka adjudged every man in
the great crowd in contempt Of courf
and fined each Of them one tan IA XII
mono length of cotton cloth. The hHr-
dreds thus suddenly found in conten"
were happy that their punishment hs'
been so light at least, and under bonds
they hurried to their homes to bring
back the cloth fine. Before the d,v
was done 700 pieces Of cotton cloth
had been presented before the maycr's
court. the name Of each culprit be!n"
get down upon the one tan OF cotton
cloth which he presented.
{, Before he would allow the 100 to go.
however. O-oka retired with the por.
ter who had been robbed to an inn :
chamber. and he asked the porter +,
look over the 100 pieces OF cotton
cloth and see IL he could identify a"y
Of them as having been once in tie
!, pack he had carried. Since every rlfn-
ufacturer Of cotton cloth in Yeddo al
ways marked the selvage Of each stri''
with little red trademark stamp the
porter searched the edges Of the mHnv
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 MAYO.