Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1852-05-01

Donkey in a Ball Room-Mr. Kendall,
writing from Paris to the New Orleans Plea.
yune, describes the following scene in a Paris
ball room:
"a highly ludicrous incident occurred few
evenings since at the Casino Paganini, large
ball room located at the head of passage lead
ing out OF the Chaussee d'Antin, and which is
much frepuented this season by mixed and
most miscellaneous crowd. The orchestra had
just struck up the Galop du Chenin de Fer
(Railroad Gallop) and the merry dancers had
taken their places, when into the room boted
a donkey, snoring and braying at the top of
his powerful lungs, and joining in the gallon,
went round the large sale with a perfect rush.
Never was such stampede seen in ball room.
The now atfrghted dancers scattered in every
direction, ana "sich gittin' up STAIRS" such a
jumping upon chairs and tables, and such
climbing up pillars, up to that moment had
never been witnessed in the Casino Paganini,
or any other casino. The police were struck
dumb at the strange apparition, the musicians
dropped their instruments and fed in terror.
while the donkey kept galloping on in his mad
flight, careering in circles around the room
amid the wild screams of the hundreds of wo.
men, all only bent upon seeking places of SAFE
ty
"What could have brought such an intruder
into dancing hall n oone could imagine, but it
was afterwards ascertained that the donkey had
been left by his master standing before door
in Chaussee d'Antin, and that, struck by one of
the carriages continually passing through that
noted thoroughfare, and frightened by the rat.
ting OF others, he had suddenly started off at
the top Of his speed. The more he ran, as ia
always the case, the more frightened he became,
and IN his hight, seeing the passage leading to
the Casino, he bolted into it for refuge. But
poor refuge did he find; for he now had to run
a gauntlet of at least fifty coachmen, always
stationed IN the passage on the lookout for Gus
toners, who, yelling and cracking their whips
at him, further increased his terror and his pace
The saloon is on the first floor, and without
stopping to procure ticket of admission, but
knocking over the astonished door-keeper in his
headlong career, the poor brute made his ad-
vent among the dancers, as already mentioned
"Solltary and alone he set that ball in notion"
and commotion too. Without stopping to sc.
lect partner, he joined in the grand galop,
and at astrde which soon dstanced everything
on the track.
"After half a dozen turns round the saloon.
and TO the music of his own composition and
performance, he finally cooled or tired himself
down, came to his senses, and quietly commenc-
ed survey of the premises. From this out he
is said to have been the pet of the evening, the
female portion Of the crowd in particular press
ing around him, and regalng him plentifully
with cakes and other notions. When the ball
was over, he was sent by the commissary of
police to the public pound, and thus ended the
doings of donkey in dancing saloon. The
adventures of the celebrated bull in the china
shop were as nothing in comparison; that ami
NAL simply confined his operations to breaking
plates, cups, and sauceIs, but the hero of the
Casino Paganni for space broke up ball."