Queen of Sheba current in the West of Europe, such as the Sibyllen Weissagung of Gottfried of Uslerbo, etc. I have dealt more amply with this series of legends in my Roumanian Popular Literature (Bucharest, 1885, 326); still less do I wish to follow out in the world’s literature the theme of testing the sex of the hero. Suffice it to refer to R. Köhler’s learned annotations to Wolf, Jahrbuch f. rom. und engl. Litteratur, iii, 57-58, and 63-67.
The Burial of Mr. Rose’s Boots.—
To the Editor of “The Times”.
Sir,—Your Southern readers would note with surprise the remarkable reticence of the police when examined and cross-examined respecting the non-production of the boots worn by Mr. Rose at the time of his murder. The Highland constable who buried them under water acted in accordance with the ancient tradition that by doing so he would “lay” the ghost of the murdered man, and thus prevent it from disturbing the people living in the neighbourhood of the catastrophe. It is not unlikely that the officers had a lurking suspicion that they would be laughed at by modern sceptics if they revealed the motive of their apparently strange conduct.—Yours, etc.,
Rothesay, N.B., Nov. 11.
Police-Sergeant Munro (Lamlash) said he was well acquainted with the hills, having lived there for thirty-one years. He observed the condition of the body when it was found, but could not say whether the neck was broken. He saw boots on the deceased. They had iron heels and sprigs. He could not say where the boots were now. He believed they were buried on the beach at Corrie, below high-water mark. He said Constable M’Coll must have buried, the boots. He believed he told him to take the boots out of the shed in which they were kept.
The Dean of Faculty.—Did you ever know such a thing being done in the investigation of any murder?—No answer.
Did you not think it might have been material to the ends of justice to have those boots? Witness.—I did not consider that at the time.
Have you no explanation why one of your policemen was ordered to take away those boots and bury them on the beach?—Witness made no reply.
By the Lord Justice Clerk.—Who was present when these boots were buried? I could not say; I told a constable to take them away, and might have said to him to take them down to the shore, but I don’t know what was done with them.
Cross-examined by the Dean of Faculty.—Did you merely bury the
