Japanese Causes Célèbre.
361
himself in contradictions. The confession hasten to inform you that he is entirely in was a consideration which Oka could net nocent." Oka, when he read the affidavit, pro disregard, and so in spite of his conviction of Sokichi's innocence, he remanded the ceeded to summon both Yagobci (for that latter to jail until further developments. was the man's name) and Sokichi, and be Meanwhile he had his own hypothesis as gan by questioning the latter. " I learn," he said, " that you have been trying to de to the guilty one. Then a strange thing happened. As ceive me, and that you really received the Sokichi left the court house, in the rude litter purse from this man here, and did not steal used for criminals, a man passed into the it at all." But Sokichi, now convinced ut court,apparently bent on legal business.whose terly that his benefactor was the real thief face seemed somewhat familiar. A glance and had confessed to save Sokichi, was de of half-recognition passed between them. It termined not to be outdone in generosity, was the man who had given him the purse. and made orte last effort to complete his For an instant it seemed to Sokichi as though sacrifice. " This man is a liar," he protested, the opportunity for saving himself ought not "I am the one who killed the men and stole the money, and whoever denies it speaks to be rejected. Then his better feelings con quered, and he put away his base impulse, falsely." When Oka perceived this noble and thanked fortune that he was not such a attempt of Sokichi to defend his benefactor, man as to gain a little longer life by bring he was filled with admiration, and said to ing evil upon the man who had once saved himself that he had seldom seen such noble that life. But the passer-by, too, had rec self-sacrifice in one so young. But he saw ognized Sokichi, and the thought instantly that as far as Sokichi went there was nothing came over him that it must be the purse or more to be learned, so he turned to Yagosomething connected with it that had brought bei and asked him about the chair-bearers, Sokichi into this plight. So, without taking the appearance of the chair and a few other the time to inquire, he returned to his house, details. On the next day he had all the chair-bearers from Asakusa district to Ushigot pen and paper, and wrote out an affi gome district, a distance of several miles, davit to the following effect : — "On the 3d of April, in the evening, I summoned to court. They came in obe took a sedan chair from Bancho ward to dience to the summons, a motley throng, and Horsedealers' ward. The cushion was still ill at ease, for a summons from Oka never warm from the previous occupant when I failed to send a thrill of apprehension to every Yedo townsman, whose conscience entered, and a purse was lying upon it, em broidered with wisteria, and containing some could not show the very whitest record. The examination proceeded, and after forty or fifty ryo. I put it in my pocket, intending to report its discovery next day, several clues had been followed up, the matter was narrowed down to this: That but after I had left the chair, and was pass ing along the street, I saw on the ground, two seclan-bearers were found who had car insensible, a young man who had been try ried Yagobei that evening; that the passen ing to commit suicide. I restored him to ger just before him had got into the chair consciousness, and when he told me that he in a drunken condition, and had gone off in had just been robbed of the last ryo he had an unknown direction; that the only thing in the world, I took out the purse, on the noticeable about him was that he carried a impulse of the moment, and forced it upon lantern marked " Yorozu Mago," and that him. I then left him, but, as it seems that there was a tea-house near the New Bridge he has been accused of stealing the purse, I kept by a man named Magohachi, of the
