Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-03-03


 That Discio=ed the Real Cuiprits.
 One day servant employed by the proprietor of big store near Japan bridge, in Yeddo. was sent with heavy pack of valuable cotton goods on his back to dyer in Honjo district When the stores messenger reached Yoko- gawa stre' nt was ready to seek rest. What mo1 safe than the little grove of trees set aoout the stone statue of the god Jizo. the patron saint of trav- elerS and defcnseless woman and chil- dren.
 The somnolent porter awoke from a nap to find that his employers cotton had disappeared. In great distress be went to the s&orekeepcr and confessed that he had slept and that robbeI had made off with the goods during his slumber. The master would not be- ieve his story, saying that it would have been impossible for robber tt, make off with so large bundle in broad daylight Unless the portrr should pay for the lost goods he wou q have 10 go to prison. said the master. In despair the porter took counsel of Mayor O-oka.
 "Yeu are certainly to blame for hav ing fallen asleep" reproved tine 1lay"r, but ,Jize is equally to blame. fol ,-e is god bound to protect evel> sor who trusts in him, and in this instlr:'c he has betrayed you. I will have htm arrested and brought. before DIG :oT trial"
 O.o&a gave immediate orders to his court officers to go and arrest the .'izc of SokogaWa street and bring birl He fore the mayors seat for trial. Iltl'aa of the officers departed on their l&iss- sion. They first bound the arms oi the stone god with coils of rope; ther they tried to lift him from his frrn pedestal into a cart. A great croWd assembled before the Jizo, attracted hy the unusual behavior of the court officers When they were told that Jizo had to go before the mayor for tria! the citizens marveled.
 The task of unseating the god was 1 too much for the three court officers I Hlll they SOuSuL dlu ol thooC St"hNiAS about. They promised that in return for assistance they would admit q" volunteer workers into the courtroom to witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were spurred by curiosit! to lend hand and when the stone god went through the streets strapped to cart like an offender the crowt grew. It filled 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 thi> trusting porter here made a prayer tr you. then fell asleep at your feet. anc he was robbed while he slept. You stand accused of being an accomplic' in this robbery. Have you anything to say for yourself before l pass gen tence?'
 Mayor O-oka waited for few mo- ments as if expecting the stony lips of Jizo fo 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 "and shall imprison you.'
 At this remarkable spectacle of a mayor passing sentence upon stone god there was litter of laughter O-oka thundered in voice of brass.
 "Who are all these people standing about here?" he inquired of his court officers. Are they accomplices of J1Zo or only plain thieves? They think this court is penny show, and they laugh at the courts orders. Shut all the gates at once"'
 The scared attendants hastened to shut the gates of the courtroom. Then Mayor O-oka adjudged every man ill the great crowd in contempt of court and fined each of them one tan Ca ki' mono length 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 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 DOT ter who had been robbed to an inner chamber, and he asked the porter to look over the TOO 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 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 y" had been robbed. He found that two of the pieces of cloth brought to pay l <ha ma vor's fine bore the stamp of his