An interesting case of corpus.
--Many of our citizens will remember one
Captain Ralph Abe formerly of the
United States reg service, who, on reaching
Charleston from the
North, in 1862, was arrested, brought to
Richmond, and confined in Castle Thunder for some time.
He was afterwards in our service, and was a witness in the case of
Captain Deaton, who was executed here as a spy in 1864.
Shortly after the evacuation of
Richmond he was arrested in
Baltimore as a spy. From the Baltimore
Sun of yesterday we learn that he has been produced before the United States District Court of that city by writ of
habeas corpus. General Woolley returned an answer to the writ to the effect that
Abercrombie, having been arrested as a spy, and having given evidence which caused the execution of
Captain Deaton, of the United States army, he was held for trial by a military commission.
The counsel for the accused contended that, as the war was over, the case could only be tried by a civil tribunal.
Judge Giles, in view of the importance of the case, reserved his decision for yesterday.
Abercrombie claims to hail from
Baltimore.