Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-11-26
AN ID()L. IN COURT
Made 10 Serve tte EAtts of jus.ia.
 In 3 Case In Japan.
TIE RUsz cF { WISE fiAY02

f',;5 Solomon ike osficial, to Wr7onn an
 la4eceat Mao &aeusaa of Theft Az
 peated. Devised ssrap's Scheme
 That Cis@'o- ed tl,e 7teal calprits.
 Que aay zere aat 4,'a3oye4l by tie ,ronfeto1. of oiss Ntoee near Farar ridge. in Sodle. was sent with a Eeays 1aek of valuable cotton goods on his tacli to dyer in Honjo district. When he stores i es&cuGer reached foEo sawa stye,= nr was re Y to secia lt3t f trees snt aaout the Ge statue 0; fbc god Jizo the patron saint of tra7 alers and d4fcnseless woman and chu i-en
 The somnolent porter awoke from [ nap to find that his employers cottoA had disappeared In great distress D, went to the ssorekeeper and confessed that he had slept and that a robbei had made off with the goods during h. slunter. The master would not b'' ,ieve his story, saying that it would have been impossible for robber te make off with so large a bundle ir broad daylight. Unless the port"i should pay for the lost goods he won 6 have to go to prison, said the master In despair the porter took counsel oi Mayor O-oka
 "Ycu are certainly to blame for hs' f~ C. %hn "but Jizo is equally to blame, for 's is a god bound to protect every ro' who trusts in him, and in this instar"e be has betrayed you. l will have bii arrested and brought before Dle :o triaj.'
 O.oka gave immediate orders to h' court officers to go and arrest the .'iZ' of Yokogawa street and bring biri "f fore the mayors seat for trial. 1ln'"' If the officers departed on their lti~ lion. They first bound the arms O. the stone god with coils of rope; thei they tried to lift him from his fri' pedestal into a cart. A great crow assembled before the Jizo, attractes by the unusual behavior of the court officers. When they were told tha' Jizo had to go before the mayor fol ] trial the citizens marveled.
 1 The task of ilnseating the god wa i too much for the three court officers and they sought aid of those standint about. They promised that in returi For assistance they would admit h! volunteer workers into the courtroom l 10 witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were spurrcd by curioSits to lend hand, and when the ston' rod went through the streets sfrapn, i io T cart like an offender the erewG ] sreN. It flied the great hall of justice ,'1an Jizo was placed before the plat for5A ui.on which sat the -uayor. c ok; ,lt:rcssed the god iii stern words.
 "You are a negligent fool, o Jizo. 70 exclaimed in I voice loud onouGl For all to hear. "You are supposed ! protect every one who believes ir ro.l and who renders tribute, yet thi l elusting porter here made a prayer t. you. then fell asleep at your feet, ais he was robbed while he slept. Yos
 tand accused of being an accomplics n this robbery. Have you anything ts ,ay for yourself before pass sen tcnce?"
 NJ. .yor O-olla waited for few mo nents as if expecting the stony lips o1 fizo to ol,cn in replXa but when n, answer was made by tfks.Eod he pass I'd sentence immediately.
 "since you do not defend yourself ] 7onsider that you are guilty said his ,onor, "and I shall imprison you.'
 At this remarkable spectacle of l. mayer passing sentence upon stons god l.. TO WAS litter of taught CT O-oka :hunderod in a voice of brass.
 "Who are all these people standing about here?" he inquired of his court X officers. "Are they accompllces of JIzt ar only plain thieves? They think this court is a I'cnny show, and they lau: 1t the courts orders. Shut all tht rates at Once"'
 The scarcd attcrdants hastcned t, shut the gates of the courtroom. Thel Mayor O-oka adjudged every man ir | En3 great CTOWu III COHtCuIpV OI IOui' and fined each of them one tan Ca Xii mono lengtM' of cotton cloth. The hun 1 dreds thus suddenly found in contem', l were happy that their punishment h"d been so light at least, and under bonds thev hnryied to their homes to brinS back the cloth fine. Before the dny vas done TOO pieces of cotton elots l had been presented before tho mayor's
 ourt. the name of each culprit beina set down upon the one tan of cottoF cloth which he presented.
 Before he would allow the 7o0 to go however. O-oka retired with the po'' ter who a,ad been robbed to an inn chambcr, and he asked the porter to ,no,, ,vor t',t, -H" ';e"oe "' ee+tn ,ioth and sne # he conad idan ies il; sq.f thim nS ''s'',"~ ions, no s ii atl t,aek l., ha,i "r.i d Siit ca Y. i,t ms rfactnr.r entien loo, r, Ne.dn { i ways n,arked th" s,ic.st. .,.'. :, st, w;tI liii'e rcd .r5''' ..s,.s'''' s'.,''t'. r lortrr scar he'd the sdssss oi t.ie ,-lar strii,s of cloth for q st"",.. ,'v ilsr