Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-04-22
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 Mao Accused of Theft Ap- pealed. Devised a Simple Scheme That Disclosed the Real CuIprits.


 That Disciosed the Real CuIprjts.
 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 Honj0 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 about the stone statue of the god Jizo. the patron saint of trar- elers and detenseless 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 sAorekeeper and confessed that he had slept and that robbeI had made off with the goods during hts Slumber. The master would not be- lieve his story, saying that it would have been impossible for a robber to make off with so large bundle ip broad daylight. Unless the porter should pay for the lost goods he wou, d have to go to prison, said the master. In despair the porter took counsel of Mayor O-oka
 "Ycu are certainly to blame for hay. ing fallen asleep" reproved the mayor. "but Jizo is equally to blame, for se is a god bound to protect every one who trusts in him, and in this instarce be has betrayed you. I will have him arrested and brought before pe :or trial"
 O-oaa gave immediate orders to his court officers to go and arrest the .Eizc of Yokogawa street and bring bim 5e fore tue mayors seat for trial. 1lrso of the officers departed on their 1eis' sion They first bound the arms of the stone god with coils of rope; ther they tried to lift him from his fir: pedestal into cart. A great crowd assembled before the Jizo. attracted by the unusual behavior of the court; officers When they were told that Jizo had to go before the mayor fer trial the citizens marveled
 The task of unseating the god was too much for the three court officers | about. They promised that in return for assistance they would admit al' volunteer workers into the courtroom to witress the extraordinary tria. Hundreds were spurred by curiosity to lend hand. and when the stone 1 god went through the streets strapnef to cart like an offender the crow,5 h., hol1 nf e, when JiZo was placed before the plat form upon which sat the mayor. 0-ok;, addressed the god in stera words
 "You are negligent fool. O Jizo'' 1 he exclaimed in voice loud enough for all to hear. "You are supposed. to protect every one who believes tr you and who renders tribute, yet this trusting porter here made prayer t' you, then fell asleep at your feet. ant he was robbed while he slept You stand accused of being an accomplics In this robbery. Have you anything to say for yourself before l pass sen | tcnce?'
 | 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 | ed sentence immediately.
 "Since you Go not defend yourself l consider that you are guilty" said his honor. "and I shall imprison you" At this remarkable spectacle of a mayor passing sentence upon a stone | god there was a litter of laughter O-oka thundcred 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 1 court is a 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-olla adjudged every man in the great crowd in contempt of court and fined each of them one tan (a Xii mono lengtM of cottcn cloth. Tie hun dreds thus suddenly found i'll contemNt were happy that their punishment had 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 TOO 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 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 selvaee of each striD with little red trademark stamp the porter searched the edges of the many strips of cloth for a stamp similar to that borne on the cloth of which he had been robbed. lye found that two of the pieces of cloth brought to pay the mayors fiuc bore the stamp of his plundered pack. Instantly Mayor O-Oka gave orders for the arrest of the two men who had brought this cloth. They confessed to the robbery, and all of the cloth they had taken from the