Long time ago there was an honest cotton merchant in the Land of Nowhere. As he was only making a marginal profit from his sales, everybody loved him.
A theft
One day, the merchant found that a bale of cotton had been stolen from his the theft.
“Do you suspect anyone?” The Village Headman asked the usual question. “No, Sir,” he said.
A feast
“Then, arrange a feast for the villagers so that I can catch the thief,” the Village Headman said. However, the merchant was not very happy about his plan. 
He rather reluctantly arranged a feast for the villagers.
After enjoying a hearty meal, the villagers thanked the merchant for the feast. The Village Headman, however, asked everybody to assemble in the compound saying that he had a surprise for them.
The Village Headman thanked the cotton merchant for arranging the feast and the villagers who assembled to enjoy the meal.
The thief is caught
Then, he raised his voice and said, “I see cotton sticking to the beard of a man.”
At once, a man put his hand to his beard while the others kept quiet.
“You are the cotton thief!” said the Village Headman moving quickly towards the man who touched his beard.
The suspect started shivering as he knew the harsh punishment for theft in the Land of Nowhere.
The Village Headman lost no time in taking the suspect to the Village Council where he would be tried for theft.