Skip to main content
Store
Dictionary
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Store
Books
Regional
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Beanies
Halloween
Request a product
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
This is a great song by Bob Dylan. This song tells the tale of the killing of a 51 year old barmaid, Hattie Carroll. William Zantzinger, or Zanzinger as Dylan refers to him in his song, lived in Charles County, Maryland. He was a young wealthy tobacco farmer at the time. The main incident of the song took place in the early hours of February 9, 1963, at the white tie Spinsters' Ball at the Emerson Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. Using a toy cane, Zantzinger drunkenly assaulted at least three of the Emerson Hotel workers: a bellboy, a waitress, and — at about 1:30 in the morning of the 9th, Hattie Carroll, a barmaid. In addition to her work at the hotel, Hattie Carroll, at 51, was the mother of eleven children and president of a black social club. Already drunk before he had reached the Emerson Hotel that night, William Zantzinger, 24 years old and 6'2", had already assaulted employees at Eager House, a prestigious Baltimore restaurant, with the same cane. This cane was a 25 cent toy. After ordering a bourbon that Carroll didn't bring immediately, Zantzinger cursed at her, called her a "nigger", then "you black son of a bitch," and struck her on the shoulder and across the head with the cane. Soon after the blow, Carroll told co-workers, "I feel deathly ill, that man has upset me so." She collapsed and was hospitalized. Hattie Carroll died eight hours after the assault. Her autopsy showed hardened arteries, an enlarged heart, and high blood pressure, and gave brain hemorrhage as the cause of death. William Zantzinger was charged with manslaughter and assault. He spent 6 months in the county jail.
Text fits
Save
Cancel