The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-17 00:00:00

THAMES.

THE SWELL MOB ON THE NORTH LONDON RAILWAY.
—Robert Fitzgibbon, a well-known member of the swell-
mob, aged 29, m ho described himself as a plasterer, residing
at an eating-house in Shored itch, was brought before Mr.
Woolrych charged with stealing a purse and money from
the person of Susanna Bonett, a young lady dwelling at
No. 21, Susanna-street, Poplar.
The prosecutris said she was a passenger on the North
London Railway from the Islington station to the Stepney
station yesterday afternoon. Her mother accompanied her.
At Hackney Wick, one of the stations on the line, eight or
nine gentlemen got into the same carriage. The prisoner
was among them, and he seated himself on her right hand
side. She was seated next to the window. All the gentle.
men who got in at Hackney Wick commenced playing at
cards and betting. The prisoner said he would show the
other gentlemen a trick with the cards they had never seen
before; and, addressing her and her mother, said, "You
may all bet if you please." He then had his coat tail over
her dress, on her right hand side, where her dress pocket
was. Her purse and about 1 ls, 6d. in silver were in that
pocket. While the prisoner was betting and looking sted-
fastly at the card playing, she felt his hand in her pocket.
She jumped up quickly, he drew his hand out, and she saw
her purse hanging to her pocket. and time parts out.
There was a key in the puree when she put it in her pocket.
It was gone. She had since recovered it. The key was
picked up in the carriage. She said to the prisoner, "You
have picked my pocket, sir." He took not the least notice
of what she said, but appeared to be deeply concerned with
the card playing, and said to the gentleman opposite, "I'll
bet ycu a dollar." She said, " Never mind, I shall know
you again, you shall not escape me." On the arrival of
the train at Stepney, and before it had completely stopped,
the prisoner jumped out of the carriage .and " flew" right
away. She followed as closely as possible, and called out
" that man has robbed me." The guard of the train came
to her assistance, and the prisoner jumped into another car-
riage. She pointed him out to the guard, who ordered him
out of the carriage. The prisoner would not leave, and he
was dragged out. The guard detained the prisoner tilli a
police constable arrived.
Stedman Nicholls, 33 K, said the prisoner was given into
his custody, and wanted to beg the lady's pardon, and cora-
romise. He found on the prisoner a railway ticket, pen-
knife, and 4d. in money. The prisoner said he lived at an
eating house in Shoreditch, opposite the Great Eastern
Railway station, He went to all the eating houses in the
street. The p:isoner was not known at any of them, but
was in fact a swell mob thief well-known in Shoreditch and
the Eingsland-road,

Mr. Bowdler, the junior clerk, said this was the sixth
case of the kind on the same line of railway within a fort-
night. The leader of the gang, Graham alias Campbell,
was convicted on Monday at the Middlesex Sessions for
robbing a lady, named, Cuthbert, at the Stepney railway-
station, and sentenced to ten years' penal servitude.
Mr. Woolrych—W e must ascertain more about the pri-
soner. I shall remand him for a week.

THE NEW PRIMA DONNA.—MIIe. Antonietta
Frieci was born in Vienna, in the year 1839, and it
therefore now in her twenty-fourth year. When she was
only fourteen, a writer in 2he Queen informs us, she fre
quented the Conservatory of Music, in order to acquire the
first knowledge of that art; and afterwards becoming ac-
quainted with Mme, Marchesi, she began to study singing
under the direction of that renowned songstress. The rapid
progress she made, and the talent she evinced, clearly
showed that some day she would take a high position in her
art. She made her debut at Pisa in 1857. Although a
little town compared to those to which she was afterwards
called, our readers must know that the Pisan public, com-
posed principally of students, is N ery hard to please. The
brilliant success she met with there made her name known
throughout Italy ; and after having charmed by her
clever performances Livorno and Florence, she was en-
gaged to sing at Turin and at tho San Carlo, Naples.
She passed from one triumph to another, each public
acknowledging her talent, and the more than extraordinary
feeling (what the Italians call sentimento) that she put into
Ler acting. After having fling at Bologna and Lisbon, she
was engaged for the the Imperial Theatre of Moscow, where
she has been re-engaged (riconjermata) for the third sea.
son. She was received there with the greatest enthusiasm,
and whenever Mlle. Fricci sang, the house was crowded in
every part. She had the honour of singing at a concert
before the Empress of Russia,
and received some splendid
presents, consisting of a diadem of brilliants, brooches, and
necklaces, the Emperor and Empress expressing personally
to her their high satisfaction. She is now at Covent-
garden for the second season. When she Made her first
appearance in London, almost every journal was of opinion
that she bore a strong resemblance to Madame Grisi, in
voice and acting, as well as in personal appearance. Un-
boubtedly Mlle. Fricci possesses' rare talent, sufficient to
make her a worthy substitute for that great prima donna.
GOOD EYESIGHT.—The lion and the horse dis-
puted one day as to whose eyesight was best. The lion saw
in a dark night a white hair in milk; the horse saw a black
hair in pitch. So the horse wou.-411 the Year Round.