Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-01-07

This Sotomon-Iike Official, to Whom an Innocent Mao Accused of Theft Ap
 peaIed. Devised a Simple Scheme That Disciosed the Real Culprits. one day servant employed by the l proprietor of q big store near Japan 1 bridge, ill Yed.lo, was sent with d heavy l pack of valuable cotton goods on his 1 back to dyer ill Honjo district When | the stores messenger reached Yok0- gaWa stres ut4 was ready to seek rest { What mo1 safe than the little grove of trees set apout the stone statue of the god JiZo. the patron saint of trav- elers and defcnseless woman and ch1!- dren.
 The somnolent porter awoke from q nap to find that his employers cotton had disappeared. In great distress he went to the ssorekeepcr and confessed that he had slept and that robbeI had made off with the goods during h.. sIumter. The master would not be 'ieye his story, saying that it woud have been impossible for a robber te, make off with so large a bundle in broad daylight. Unless the porter should pay for he lost goods he Woa | i haze 10 go to prison. said the master In despair the porter took counsel of Nayoe O-oka.
 sYcu are certainly to blame for G9.' iD& fHllen asleep" reproved the llaTes, '0ut .iZo is equally to blame. f3r :.a is god bound to protect eyert one who trusts in him. and in this inAt:1'"e he has betrayed you. l will have hnn arrested and brought before Die &o2. tr!al.'
 O.oSla gave immediate orders to hte cOlrt officers to go and arrest the .. iZN If YolSoga wa street and bring iilel 3e fore the mayors seat for trial. 1iti'3" of the officers departed on their 1,ei& sion. They first bound the arms o,' the stone god with coils of rope; ther they tried to lift him from his fr.. pedestal into a cart. A great croNI assembled before the Jizo, attracted I1y the unusual behavior of the court officers When they were told that IiZo had to go before the mayor for trial the citizens marveled.
 I he task of unseating the god waa 100 much for the three court officers and they sought aid of those standing about. They promised that in return for assistance they would admit Ni volunteer workers into the courtroom to witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were spurred by culiosits 70 lend a hand, and when the stone cod went through the streets strapp@s to G cart like an offender the. croW,' 2rcN. It filled the great hall of justice ,vhAn jiZ0 was placed before the plat ssrel upon which sat the mayor O-ol<,, addressed the &ed ill stern words.
 "You are a negligent fool O ,JiZo" he exclaimed in voice loud enough for all to hear "You are supposeI, te protect every one who believes ie 1ou and who renders tribute, ye! this trusting porter here made q prayer | lou, then fell asleep at your feet. ant .r was robbed while lie slept. YOu stand accused of being an accomplic,
 in this robbery. Have you anything to say for yourself before 1 pass sen tcnce?"
 Mayor O-oka waited for a few mo mcnts as if expecting the stony lips of 1izo to open in reply, but when no answer was made by the god he pass ed sentence immediately.
 "Since you do not defend yourself l consider that you are guilty said his honor, "and I shall imprison you.
 At this remarkable spectacle of :, mayor passiug sentence upon a stone god there was q litter of laughter O-oka thundcred in a voice of brass.
 "Who are all these people standing about hcre?" he inquired of his court officers. Are they accompliccs of Jizo or only plain thieves? They think tllis, court is a penny show. and they laugh at the courts orders. Shut all tn" gates at once"'
 The scared attendants hastcncd to shut the gates of the courtroom. Then Mayor O-oka adiudgcd every man in the great crowd in contempt of court and fined each of them one tan Ca lli- mono lengtM 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 d1y was done 700 pieces of cotton cloh 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 700 to 90, however. O-oka retired with the DOT ter who had been robbed to an inn1 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 carried. Since overv !nen- ufacturer of cotton cloth in Tc29o al ways marked the selva%e of each StNin with q little red trademark stamp the porter searched the edges of the many strips of cloth for a stamp similar b that borne on the clcth of which he