Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-03-01
AN IDOL IN COURT
Made to Serve the Ends of Justice
 In a Case In Japan.
THE RUSE OF A WISE MAYOR.

innocent Mao Accused of Theft Ap
 pealed. Devised Simple Scheme That Disciosed the Real Culprits. | One day servant employed by the proprietor of big store near Japan | bridge, in Yed,lo. was sent with heavy back to dyer in Honjo district. When | the stores messenger reached Yoko- gaWa stre| nh was ready to seek rest. l What mo1 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 chu dren.
 The somnolent porter awoke from a ! nap to find that his employers cotton | had disappeared In great distress be | went to the sSorekeeper and confessed | that he had slept and that a robbe1 had made off with the goods during his slnmher The master would not be | deve his story, saying that it would have been impossible for a robber to make off with so large q bundle in | broad daylight Unless the porter | should pay for the lost goods he wou:3 | have to go to prison, said the master. l In despair the porter took counsel of | Mayor O-oka.
 "Ycu are certainly to blame 1ol hav | ing fallen asleep" reproved the mayer, "but .Jizc is equally to blame. for ..e | is god bound to protect every one who trusts in him, and in this ir>tal;;'e | be has betrayed you. l will have hum arrested and brought before nle For l trial
 | O-o:Sa gave immediate orders to his | court officers to go and arrest the .'lZc of Yckogawa street and bring hirl 3eN | fore tue mayors seat for trial. Tltrae of the officers departed on their 1eis= sion They first bound the arms Of 1 the stone god with coils of rope; ther l they tried to lift him from his firIo pedestal into a cart. A great crows assembled before the Jizo, attracted by the unusual behavior of the court 1 officers When they were told that l Jizo had to go before the mayor fer l u ial the citizens marveled.
 ] The task of unseating the god was 1 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 al: | volunteer workers into the courtroom | to witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were spurred by curiosity l to lend hand, and when the stone | god went through the streets strapped | to a cart like an offender the crowo 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 vOics loud enough for all to hear. "You are supposed to protect every one who believes IT, 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 accompllcs Tn this robbery. Have you anything to say for yourself before pass sen tence!'
 Mayor O-oka waited for few mo- ments as if expecting the stony lips cf 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 1 consider that you are guilty" said his honor. Aand I shall imprison you" At this remarkable spectacle of a { stone god there was a litter of laughter
 O-oka thundered in voice of brass.
 "Who are all these people standing about 11ere?'' 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 once!"
 The scared attendants hastened to shut the gates of the courtroom. Then Mayor O-oka adjudged every man i'll the great crowd in contempt of court and fined each of them one tan Ca kl- 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 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 n chamber, and he asked the porter tf
 look over the 700 pieces of cottof . cloth and see if he could identify any
 of them as having been once i'll the
 pack he had carried. Since every man ufacturer of cotton cloth in Yeddo al B ways marked the selvage of each strli with little red trademark stamp tllt porter searched the edges of the many
 strips of cloth for stamp similar tt 3 that borne on the cloth of which h'
 AtN.1f