Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-08-06
AN IDOL ifi 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 Mao Accused of Theft Ap-
 peaIed, Devised a Simple Scheme
 That Dscio.ed the Real CuIprits.
 One day servant employed by the proprietor of big store near Japan bridge, in Yedlo, was sent with heavy pack of valuable cotton goods on his back to dyer in Honjo district When the stores messenger reached Goko gawa stres ne was ready to seek rest What nor safe than the little grove of trees set about the stone statue of the god Jizo. the patron saint of trav- | elers and defcnseless woman and chN dren.
 The somnolent porter awoke from nap to find that his employers cotton had disappeared In great distress be went to the s%orekeeper and confessed that he had slept and that q robbe1 had made off with the goods during h:s ! uumher. The master would not be 'ieve his story, saying that would l have been impossible for a robber 10 i make off with so large a bundle 10 broad daylight Unless the porter should pay for the lost goods he VOL q have to go to prison, said the master In despair the porter took counsel of Mayor O-oka,
 "Yeu are certainly to blame for h9v Ing fallen asleep rcproved the TaT"r, but Jizc Is equally to blame, for ( Is god bound to protect every one who trusts In him, and in this instance he has betrayed you. l will have hlm arrested and brought before me for trial"
 O-oAa gave immediate orders to his 1 court officers to go and arrest the .'lZc If Yolsogawa street and bring bln ne fore the mayors seat for trial. Three of the officers departed on their leis sion They first bound the arms of tho stone god with coils of rope; ther hey tried to lift him from his tirH "cdestal into cart. A great crowd assembled before the .IiZo, attracted i Ay the unusual behavior of the court i eacers. When they were told that Itzo had to go before the mayor fbr trial the citizens marveled.
 The task of unseatng the god was too much for the three court officers 1 and they sought aid of those standing ] about. They promised that in return for assistance they would admit nf volunteer workers into the courtroom to witness the extraordinary trial 1 Hundreds were spurred by curioSit, to lend hand and when the stone god went through the streets strapped to a cart like an offender the crowd grew It filled the great hall of justice when Jizo was placed before the plat form upon which sat the mayor, O-oka addressed the god in stern words.
 "You are a negligent fool, O Jizo!' he exclaimed In a voice loud enough for all to hear "You are supposed to protect every one who believes IT you and who renders tribute, yet thi' trusting porter here made a prayer tc you, then fell asleep at your feet. and he was robbed while he slept. You stand accused of being an accomplics !a this robbery. Have you anything to 1 say for yourself before pass sen.
 > ncc?"
 Mayor O-oka waited for a few mo ments as if expecting the stony lips of Tizo to open in reply, but when no ;nswer was made by the god he pass
 | sentence immediately.
 Since you do not defend yourself l ~onsidcr that you are guilty" said his ucnor, and I shall imprison you" 1 At this remarkable spectacle of a mayor passing sentence upon q stone ! god there was Il litter of laughter O-oka thundcrcd in a voice of brass.
 Who are all thesc people standing 1 about herc?" he inquired of his court | officers. Are they accomplices of Jizo 1v only plain thieves? They think this oourt Is a penny show, aud they laugh 1t the courts orders. Shut all the gHtes at onee."
 1 The scared attendants hastencd to 1 shut the gates of the courtroom. Then Mayor O=olla Gdiud%cd every man ill thr ~rcat crowd in contempt of court and fined each of them one tan ta Xii 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 TOO pieces of cotton cloth had been presented before the mayors $ court. the name of each culrrit 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 I, ohed to an inner chamber, and he asked the porter to look over the 7eo 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 ieddo al ways marked the SelVage of each striN with 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