Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-07-18
AN IDOL IN COURT
Made to Serve the Ends of Justice
 In a Case In Japan.
THE RUSE OF A WISE MAYOR.

One day a 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 Honjo district When the stores messenger reached Yoko Rawa stres nh was ready to seek rest What mof safe than the little grove of trees set about the stone statue of the god Jizo. the patron saint of tray elers and detcnseless woman and chil dren.
 The somnolent porter awoke from 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 n robbeI had made off with the goods during h:s 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 In broad daylight Unless the portor 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 hsv. ing fallen asleep" reproved the mayor, "but .Jizo Is equally to blame, for se is god bound to protect every one who trusts in him, and in this instance be has betrayed you. I will have him arrested and brought before me for trial.
 O-oNa gave immediate orders to his court officers to go and arrest the "iZo of Yokogawa street and bring blm oe fore the mayors seat for trial. Tlree of the officers departed on their Ieis- sion. They first bound the arms of the stone god with coils of rope; ther they tried to lift him from his trm pedestal into cart. A great crowd assembled before the Jizo, attracted by the unusual behavior of the court officers. When they were told thot Jizo had to go before the mayor for trial Che citizens maryeled
 The task of unseating the god was 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 AH volunteer workers into the courtroom to witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were spuued by cuYiosli5 to lend q hand and when tho stoHt god went through the streets strappFf to cart like an offender the eroz@f grew It filled the great hall of iusteD when Ji2o was placed before ta.. l3ai form uran ~l4,aE sa; tlse s=2a}=sH. e-ea addressed the gcd in str5a '=z'5
 "Yon arc 8 negligent faol 0 ii"a2' he exclaimed in 2 voie, loud em,a for all Co hear. You a1o aui6io to protect eNt4# ear# @l.e heIjazA.s 7oei and Wi3 red rs .IiHs5.f.
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 r only 1 = .,.I55 ~ court i7 ronnv e'1o''-. @7-Ft t'sav # tho courts oraore Set a' t#t .aftos at oneos'
 Jha se;r.G aUoa6an's le=trned to shut the gates Of the gGur,. Jom. TheH Mayor G-oi.a ss,..s:1@ed Ctl.' man in tl2c ~rno' c"orrd fY ra"'6,5, of eo5l.t and fined each of thom one fan ta Ii. Mou3 }eactlH of coftcn cloth Tie hun drcds flta1 suddenly feund in eorfemHj were happy that their punishment h:d 5e~H so liaat at feast. aud under b1..,:S Hey hurried 10 their ho.a,s lo l!t1@ back the cloth fac. Before Gte d=9g was done TOO pieces of cotton t!G'h had been presented cfcro flo rsayef'S court. the name of each cu'nrit heinz set down upon the one tan of cotton cloth which he presented.
 Before he would allow the 7o9 to 20, howey CT, O-oka retired v.i,h the DOT ter who he'd been rr9bod to an inner chamber. and he as'.sd lha porter to look over the roo pieces of cotton cloth and see if he could identify any of them as having been oa in the pack he had carried. Since every man. ufacturer of cotton cloth in Yeddo al- ways marked tho selvare of each strip with a 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 1 had been robbed. He found that two of the pieces of cloth brought to pay the mayors fine 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