A bemused passing tourist asked what all the commotion was about on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
They looked incredulous when I told them the former first minister of Scotland had just been addressing the nation’s media after formally denying a string of sex attacks.
IN FULL: Alex Salmond denies rape, two indecent assaults and 11 sexual assaults
But the man who had just left the High Court was indeed the Right Honourable Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond, member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council, and Scotland’s longest serving first minister.
The 64-year-old had arrived more than 90 minutes early for his 10am hearing on 14 charges including sexual assault and attempted rape.
Foreshadowing what is bound to be the most scrutinised case in Scottish history, more than 40 reporters crammed into the small courtroom for the opening salvos.
Even journalists, who generally consider themselves a cynical bunch, were shocked by the visual symbol of what is expected to be a month-long trial – the sight of Salmond, Scotland’s most famous politician, in the dock flanked by two security officers.
The ex-SNP leader’s decision to make a media statement after the proceedings also caught us by surprise. Accompanied by his sisters, Salmond insisted he was completely innocent of all charges and vowed to clear his name.
Then, as the former first minister turned to walk back up the Royal Mile, one of his supporters expressed solidarity with a shouted quote from American poet Walt Whitman.
“O Captain, my Captain!”
I’m not sure what the tourists thought of that.