William Zantzinger, the man whose horrific act inspired Bob Dylan's "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," has died at the age of 69. At a Baltimore hotel in 1963, Zantzinger, a 24 year old wealthy tobacco farmer killed Hattie Carroll, a 51 year old black barmaid and mother of 11, for not serving him fast enough. At trial, he was convicted of the minimum charge of involuntary manslaughter, sentenced to six months in prison and charged approximately $625 in fines. This provoked outrage in the civil rights movement over the blatant preferential treatment Zantzinger received by the justice system and prompted Bob Dylan to write the largely factual account in a song modeled after Bertolt Brecht's "Pirate Jenny."
Zantzinger told Howard Sounes, a Dylan biographer, he "should have sued him and put him in jail.”
Here's Dylan performing the song on The Steve Allan Show in 1964:
Good Riddance. Bob Dylan gave him the life sentence he deserved.
Zantzinger told Howard Sounes, a Dylan biographer, he "should have sued him and put him in jail.”
Here's Dylan performing the song on The Steve Allan Show in 1964:
Good Riddance. Bob Dylan gave him the life sentence he deserved.
