Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 09.pdf/394

 Japanese Causes Célèbre.

359

JAPANESE CAUSES CÉLÈBRES. II. SOKICHI: OR THE MAN WHO WOULD NOT BETRAY HIS BENEFACTOR.

BY JOHN H. WIGMORE. AMONG the chief qualities which ren dered Oka, Lord of Echizen, at once feared, admired and trusted by the towns people of Yedo, was his marvelous capacity for discerning character in a moment's ob servation of those who came before him. The case of Sokichi illustrates (at least in local tradition) not only these profound powers of penetration attributed to Oka, but also the force of the sentiment of gratitude as evinced in the steadfast self-sacrifice of a humble Yedo citizen. It happened, one morning (the 5th of April, to be particular), about the middle of the last century, that, as Oka was proceeding through the streets to the court, the sound of the fire-bells near by led him to change his course, but as he passed in his chair through a narrow side-street, his attention was attracted by the noise of an altercation proceeding from a pawn-shop. A samurai (to whose face Oka instinctively took a dis trust) was administering a beating to a re spectable, but needy-looking tradesman; and at the moment Oka passed, he heard the samurai exclaim, " You rascal! you swind ler! I was the one that did the work for this!" His constables soon had the people out before him and heard their stories. A woman, Osugi, whose face bore traces of grief and distress, was the principal personage, and with her was her nephew Kohachi, the one who had been using the stick. The woman was the wife of Sato Jubei, the re tainer of a knight whose family had fallen into pecuniary distress. Jubei had two nights before drawn a part of his master's stipend from the treasury, and on his way home had been foully murdered in a dark street by an

unknown man. The nephew, Kohachi, had called at his house in the afternoon to bor row money of him, and having learned his whereabouts, started to meet him. But he never saw Jubei alive again. The next morn ing the uncle's body was found by the road side, with a long sword-wound on the neck, and by its side the corpse of his faithful attendant. The fifty ryo in gold, which he was to have drawn for his master, was not to be found, but an inquiry at the treasury showed that he had certainly received the money. There was no clue of any kind to the murderer. If the grief of Jubei's family was great, their pecuniary condition was now equally distressing, for their share of this stipend had thus been lost to them, and nothing now remained but the usual resort of the poor, the pawn-shop. Here they were, Osugi and her nephew Kohachi, on the succeeding morning, just before Oka saw them, when there entered a poorly dressed merchant bent on settling a long-standing debt. To their astonishment and horror he drew out of his pocket, as he proceeded to make the payment, the crêpe purse which had belonged to the murdered man. They knew it by the yellow color and by the spray of wisteria-blossom embroidered on it. The woman shrieked, and the nephew with a cry sprang upon the man, and was en deavoring to overpower him, when the con stables came up. When the man Sokichi's turn came to speak, he had only protesta tions of innocence to make; and Oka finally ordered all the parties to appear in 'court next morning, sending Sokichi along mean while with two constables. In the interval Sokichi had time to reflect