Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1911-05-16

piOpEielOI or pig store near J1t)a0 bridge, in Yed,io, was sent with q heavy pack of valuable cotton goods on his back to dyer in Honjo district When the stores messenger reached Yoko. gawa stre' Ir was ready to seek rest What mo1 safe than the little grove of trees set about the stone statue oi the god Jizo. the patron saint of trav- elers and defenseless woman and chll. dren.
 The sonnolent porter awoke from 0 nap to find that his employers cotton had disappeared. In great distress be went to the ss9rekecper and confessed that he had slept and that a robbe> bud made off with the goods during ili> siumher The master would not h, 'ieve his story, saying that it Wou!! have been impossible for a robatr ,3 make off with so large a bundle ja broad daylight. Unless the port'T 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 Nov Ing fallen asleep" reproved the llar"r, but JiZo is equally to blame. for .e is 2 god bound to protect eFeH~ 39" who trusts in him. and in this i!.atat".e hn has betrayed you. l will have h,m arrested and brought before Die :3r .ria,"
 O-.';<a gave immediate orders to his court officers to go and arrest the .'izc of ICizoeaWa street and bring ftIi "e fore lie mayors scat for trial. lifr%o of the officers departed on tlicir l%iS sion They first bound the hrils oi tho stone god with coils of rope: thor they tried [" lift him from his tirfE l't'lt stal into T cart. X great crow assemhlcd before the .!izo. att+.-ae,S. hy t.le unusual behavior of t.!e co"r' officers. When they were told that .!izo had to % hefo"H the mayor for 1, ial ehe citizens maryeled
 The ,asl1 of unSCatiuG the god was too much for the three court offers nrd they sought aid of those standing about. They promised that in rett;Hi, for assistance they would adm a.' volunteer workers into the courtrooT' to witness the extraordinary trial Hundreds were sIurred by curiosity to lend hand, and when the stone god went through the streets StrapDs( to cart like an offender the crowo grew. It filled the great hall of just:cr when Jizo was placed before the plat form upon which sat the mayor. O-oki. addressed the god in stern words.
 "You are negligent fool. O ,JiZc." he exclaimed in voic. loud enough for all to hear "You are supposed to protect every one who believes r you and who renders tribute. yxs. thj, trusting porter here made prayer i: you. then fell asleep at your fcet. a!it Ee was robbed while he slept yn" stand accused Of being an accompi", in this robbery. Have you anything tc say for yourself before I pass sen tencc?"
 Mayor O-olla waited for d few no ments as if expecting the stony lips cf JiZo to open in reply. but w!!tn no answer was made by the god he pass ed sentence Immediately.
 ''Sinee you da not defend yourself consider that you are guilty" .,:d hia honor. and shall inprison yof'.
 At this remarkable spectacle of :, mayor. passing sentence upon Il sJpne god therc was I litter of iAn@'ter o-otn thundcrod in a voice of brass.
 Who arc all these people staHding about hcro?" nc inquired of lis coyl-; officers. Are they accomrliceS of -Tiyo o. only plain thieves? They think 1l, court is q penny show, and they lau2h at tlle courts orders. Shut all thr gates at on-e."'
 The scnr"d attendants hAstenoG 'n shut the gates of the courtrooHl. ThAn Mayor O-olla adiudged every Har 'n rle ~reat crowd in contempt 'of "oN"t and fined each of them one tan ta li- mnno longtN of cotton cloth. "'iie hun iircds thus suddenly found in oom;o'u't were happy that their punishmcnt H"d been so light at least, and under bn".!S they hurried to their homes to bring bacl. the cloth fine. Befor" the d2y was done 700 pieces of cotton cloth had been presented before the ,ua,cr'S court. the name of each culnrit he'"g set down upon the one tan oe cotton cloth which he presented.
 Before he would allow the 7G0 to 20. however. C-oka retired Nit! tho DOT, ter who had been r. JbaG to an inn"r chamber. and hc asked tho ror'er Io look over the IC1 pieces o| cottnn cloth and sec if he could identify any of them as having been onHe in the pack he had carried. Since cv"ry man ufacturcr of cotton cloth ill YedGo al- ways marked the selva"e of each strn with little red trademark stamp the porter searched the edges of the many strips of cloth for a stamp similar to that borne on tie cloth of which lle had been robbed He found that two of the pieces Of cloth brought to pay the mayors fine bore the stamp If his plundered pack. Instantly Mayor O-oka gave orders for the arrest Of the /! tx-o II ,l,