Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-04-10

A DONKEY INA BALL RooM.-Mr. Kendall
writing from Paris to the New Orleans Picay,tae,
describes the following scene in Paris ball
room:
ga highly ludicrous incident occurred few eve
ming since at the Casino Paganni, large ball
room located at the head of a passage leading out
of the Chaussee dAntn, and which is much fire.
quented this season by a mixed and most msce-
laneous crowd. The orchestra had lust struck
up the Galop du Chenim de Fer, (Railroad Gal
lop,) and the merry dancers had taken their pla-
ces, when into the room bolted a donkey, snort
ing and braying at the top of his powerful lungs,
and, joining in the gallop, went round the large
sale with perfect rush. Never was such
stampede seen in a ball room. The now alright
ed dancers scattered in every direction, and ssich
getting up stairs such 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 mu-
sicians dropped their instruments and fled i'll ter
ror while the donkey kept galloping on in his mad
fight, careering in circles around the room amid
the wild screams of the hundreds o. women, all
only bent upon seeking places of safety.
''What could have brought such an intruder
into dancing hall no one could imagine, but it
was afterwards ascertained that the donkey had
been left by his master standing before door in
Chaussee d'Antn and that, struck by one of the
carriages continually passing through that noted
thoroughfare,, and frightened by the rafting of
others, he had suddenly started off at the top of
his speed. The more he ran, as is always the
case, the more frightened he became, and in his
flight, 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 pas
sage on the lookout for customers, who, yelling
and cracking their whips at him, further increas-
ed his terror and his pace. The saloon is on the
first floor, and without stopping to procure
ticket of admission, but knocking over the aston
ished door-keeper in his headlong career, the
poor brute made his advent among the dancers,
as already mentioned Solitary and alone he sat
that ball in motion, and commotion, too. With
out stopping to select partner, he joined in the
grand gallop, and at stride which soon distanced
every thing on the track.
''After half dozen turns round the saloon,
and to music of his own composition and perfor-
nance, he finally cooled or tired himself down,
came to his senses, and quietly commenced sur
vey of the premises. From this out he is said to
have been the pet of the evening, the female por-
ton of the crowd in particular pressing around
him, and regaling 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 cele-
brated bull in the china shop were as nothing in
comparison; that animal simply confined his ope-
ratons to breaking plates, cups and saucers, but
the hero of the Casino Paganini for a space broke
up ball."