Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-06-18
&
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 APP
peaIed. Devised Simple Scheme
That Disciosed the Real Culprits.

~ mat ESISCiOS &c the kGSl LuiprLtS
4 One day servant employed by the
sproprietor OF g big store near Japan
vi bridge, in Yedt1o was sent with heavy
pack Of valuable cotton goods on his
8a back to dyer In HOMO district When
III the stores messenger reached Yoko
-gawa sire. np was ready 10 seek rest
TIL What NOR safe than the little grove
Of trees set ABOUT the stone statue Of
q the god Jtzo. the patron saint of trar-
N elers and defnnseless woman and chit
81 d-eu
u The eomnolent porter awoke from
nap to fnd that his employers cotton
IA had disappeared. In great distress be
VI went to the storekeeper and confessed
y that he had slept and that robbeJ
~ has1 made off with the goods during bis
VI ~iumher. The master would not b"
8 ,teve mis- story, saving that it wonld
in have been impossible for a robber u
Va make off with so large a bundle IN
N broad daylight. Unless the porter
s# should pay for the lost goods he wou,G
III have TO go TO prison, said the master
IA In despair the porter took counsel Of
III Mayor .O-oka
"Tcu are certainly to blame for how
ing fallen aslecp." reproved the mayor,
Il "but Jizc Is equally to blame. for &c
IS Il god bound to protect every one
who trusts in him, and in this instance
be has betrayed You. l will have him
arrested and brought before ME Cor
trial"
O-,ila gave immediate orders to his
court officers to go and arrest the JIG
of Yolsogawa street and bring bill" ne
fore the mayors seat for trial. Three
Of he officers departed on their 1ais-
sion They first bound the arms OF
the stone god with coils of rope; Their
they tried to lift him from his fir:
rGle stal into a cart great croWa
assembled bef5re the Jizo. attracted
by the unusual behavior Of the court
officers When they were told that
Jizo had to go before the mayor for
trial che citizens marveled.
The task of unseating the god was
zoo 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
to lend a hand, and when the stone
god went through the streets strapped
TO cart like an offender the CROWD
grew. 1t 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 negligent fool, o Jizo"
he exclaimed in voice loud enough
for all to hear. "You are supposed
Il protect every one who believes ir
you and who renders tribute, yet this
trusting porter here made a prayer tt
you then fell asleep at your feet, anc
he was robbed while he slept YOU
stand accused of being an accomplish
IN this robbery. Have you anything to
say for yourself before l pass SEN
tence?'
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
I'd sentence immediately.
"Since you do not defend yourself
consider that you are guilty" said his
honor land shall imprison YOU
IT this remarkable spectacle of a
Telayor passing, sentence upon a stone
god there WAS Il litter of laughter
-O-oka Numbered in voice of brass.
who are All these people standing
stout here" he inquired of his court
ntteers. care they accompices of JiZo
ar only plain thieves? They think this
.,ourt is Il penny show, and they laugh
st the courts orders Shut all the
oates at on"o.'
The sc:red attendants FASTENED to
shut the gates of the courtroom. Then
Mayor O-oka adiud"cd every man in
the great crowd i'll contempt OF "our,
and fined each of them one tan "a XII
mono length of cotton cloth. The hun
dreds thus suddenly found in cont emit
were happy that their punishment had
been so light at least, and under bonds
they hurried to their homes to bring
beck the cloth fine. Before tho day
was done 700 pieces of cotton cloth
md 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 por-
ter who had been II obed to an inner
chamber, and he asked the porter to
look over the 700 pieces Of cotton
cloth and see if he could identify any
of them as having been once in the
pack he had CARR, d. Since every m"n-
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 a stamp similar to
that borne on the cloth of which he
had been robbed. He found that two
Of the pieces of cloth brought to pay
the mayors fine bore the stamp Of his
pundered pack. Instantly Mayor
b-oka gave orders for the arrest of the
two men who had brought this cloth.