Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-06-06
AN IDOL IN COURT
Made to Serve the Ends of Justice
In a Case In Japan.
THE RUSE OF A WISE MAYOR,
This Solomon like Official, to Whom an
innocent Man Accused of Theft Ap-
peaIed, Devised Simple Scheme
That Discfoeed the Real CuInrits

peaed. Devised a Simple Scheme
That Disclosed the Real CuIprits.
one day a servant employed by the
proprietor OF big store near Japan
bridge, in Yed'io, was sent with heavy
pack of valuable cotton goods on his
back to dyer In HOMO district When
the stores messenger reached Yoko
gawa stres nh was ready to seek rest
What NOR safe than the little grove
of trees set ABOUT the stone statue of
the god Jtzo. the patron saint of trav-
elers and detcnseless woman and chill
dren.
The somnolent porter awoke from a
nap to And that his employers cotton
had disappeared. In great distress be
went to the s&orekeeper and confessed
that he had slept and that a robbeY
bad made off with the goods during his
siumher. The master would not be-
lieve his story, saying that it would
have been impossible for robber TO
make off with so large a bundle il
broad daylight Unless the porter
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 hsv
ing fallen asleep" reproved the mayor,
"but Jizo is equally to blame, for Re
Is a god bound to protect every one
who trusts in him, and In this 1nstarre
be has betrayed you. l will have him
arrested and brought before ME Cor
trial.
O-oka gave immediate orders to his
court officers to go and arrest the 1izo
Of Yokogawa street and bring bin pc
fore the mayors seat for trial. Three
of the officers departed on their 1eis-
sion. They first bound the arms OF
the stone god with coils of rope; Their
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 We're told that
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 nl'
volunteer workers into the courtroom
to witness the extraordinary trial
Hundreds were spurred by curiosity
tc lend a hand and when the stone
Cod went through the streets strapped
TO cart like an offender the crowd
grew 1t filed the great hall of justice
when Jizo was placed before the plat
form upon which sat the mayor. O-ok"
addressed the god in stern words.
"You are negligent fool. o Jizo!'
he exclaimed in voice loud enough
for all to hear. "You are supposed.
to protect every one who believes ir
you and who renders tribute, yet this
trusting porter here made 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
tence?"
Mayor O-oka waited for a few mo-
Jizo to open in reply, but when no
answer was made by the god he pass,
ed sentence Immediately.
"Since you do not defend yourself
consider that you are guilty" said his
honor, land I shall imprison you"
At this remarkable spectacle Of n
mayor passing sentence upon stone
90
O-oka Numbered in voice Of brass.
'Who are all these people standing
about here?" he inquired of his court
officers. "Are they accomplices of Jizo
or only plain thieves? They think this
court Is penny show, and they laugh
at the courts orders. Shut all the
gates at oncev
The scared attendants fastened to
shut the gates of the courtroom. Then
Mayor O-oka adjudged every man in
the great crowd in contempt of court
and fined each of them one tan "a XII
mono length of cotton cloth. The hum
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 700 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 700 to go.
however, O-oka retired with the por-
| ter who had been robbed to an inner
/ chamber. and he asked the porter to
look over the 100 pieces of cotton
cloth and see if he could identify any
Of them as having been once in the
| pack he had carried Since every man.
ufacturer of cotton cloth in Yeddo al
ways marked the selvage of each strip
| with little red trademark stamp the
porter searched the edges Of the many
strins 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
he mayors fine bore the stamp of his
p!undered pack. Instantly Mayor
o-cha gave orders for the arrest Of tie
two men who had brought this cloth
They confessed to the robbery. and oil
! of the cloth they had taken from the