Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-01-25
AN ID0L. IN COURT
Made to Serve tha Ends of Justice
 In Case in Japan.
THE RUSE OF A WISE MAYOR.
This Solomon ike Official, to Whom an Innocent M&n Accused of Theft Ap- peaIed, Devised a Simple Scheme That Disciosod the Real Culprits.


 One day servant employed by the proprietor ot big store near Japan bridge, in Yed,lo. was sent with heavy pack of valuable cotton goods on his back to a dyer in Honjo district. When the stores messenger reached Yoko- gaWa StreS nt was ready to seek rest. What mon safe than the little grove of trees set about the stone statue of the god JiZo. the patron saint of tray eIers and dafnnseless woman and chil- dren.
 Tho somnolsnt portar awoke from q nap to And that his employers cotton had disappeared. In great distress he went to the sAorekeeper and confessed that he had slept and that a robbsr had made of with the goods during his Hlpmber. The master would not be lieye his story, saying that 1t would have been impossible for a robber to mako off with so large bundle in broad daylight. Unless the porter should pay for the lost goods be would have to go to prison, said the master. In despair the porter took counsel of Mayor O-oAa.
 "Yeu are certainly to blanc fos hav- ing fallen asleep reproved the mayer. but Jizo l.. equally to blanc. for se is a god bound to protect evert csa@ who trusts in him, and in this 1nAtaI"e le has betrayed you. l will have him arrested and brought before mo for trial"
 O-oesa gave immediate orders to his couYt officers to go and arrest the Fizo 3c Yo]SoGawa street and bring btr pc fore the mayors seat for trial. Iln'aa of the officers departed on their lois sion. They first bound the arms Of the stone god with coils Of rope: thcr they tried to lift him from his firic pedestal into a cart. 4 great cfowa assembled before the Jizo. attracted by the unusual behavior of the court ofifcers When they were told that ,fiuo had to go before the mayor for tria! tho eitisens marvsled-
 The task of unsscting tho sod was 100 Mueh fer tho three eesrt sfaesaa and they sought aid of thsss standing ahost They psonstssl thst fa sssszH fer aasdsaasass tAW weHA aasstt aa volunteer wsFksm into the courtroom to witAsss the sx xrasaG1naW tfisl funzrsds wsrs sSaz1sd " Wssis, 10 lend a hand and when tho ston~ rod went through tho strssts stAprs< to cart like an offender the crowd grew It filled the great haA 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!' l!c exclaimed in voice loud enough for all to hear "You are supposed to protect every one who believes tE you and who renders tribute, yet thi' trusting porter here made q prayer ts yoyl. then fell asleep at your feet. anG l:r wns robbed while he slept. You s5and accused of being an accomplice in this robbery. Have you anything tc say for yourself before pas. sen t0n"o%'
 Mayor O-oka waited for few mo- ments as if expecting the stony lips of Ii;:o to open in reply. but when no answer w:s made by the god he pass cd sentence immediately.
 ''sincc you do not defend yourself l consider that you are guilty" said his honor. and shall inprison you"
 At this rcmaYkab ble spectacle of mayor passing sentenee upon . stone god thore WAS litter Of laughter O-oi,a thundcred in voice ot brass.
 ''wilo arc .A thene people standing about here?" he inquired of hls court officers. Are they aecosns,st~&s of Jizo or only plain thiev~s' They think this court fs penny show. and they laugh .t tie courts orders. Shut all the S.tex at on""
 Ihs scared attendants hnnsened t~ shut the gates of the courtroom. Then Mayor O-oka :diudfed every man in the rreat crowd n contempt of court end fined each af .he1a one tan Ca ki- mono length, of cotton cloth. The hun tlrcG- thus s'iddn.iiv found i,l contempt were hGIpv that their punirhment had lacen so light at le.st. and under bonds they hurried to their homes to bring back the cloth fine. Before the day war done TOO pieces of cotton cloth had hecn presented before the mayors court, the name of each culprit being set down upon tho one tan of cotton cloth which he presented
 Before he would allow the ?0O 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 TOO 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. ufncturer of cotton cloth in Yeddo al- ways marked the selyage of each strip 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. He found that two of the pieces of cloth brought to psy the mayors Ans bore the ste Mp of his | viundAeed pAek InstaNtly Mayor l