Stagger Lee

Mekhet, Former Regent of the West and Former Hierophant of the Circle of the Crone

I was standing on the corner when I heard my bulldog bark

He was barkin' at the two men who were gamblin' in the dark

It was Stagger Lee and Billy, two men who gambled late

Stagger Lee threw seven, Billy swore that he threw eight

—Lloyd Price, “Stagger Lee”

(Bar of Salvius); 3494: In one bar, a picture depicts two men playing dice. One shouts, “Six!” while his opponent holds up two fingers and says, “No, that’s not a ‘three’; it’s a ‘two’”. By the door of the bar, another picture shows a short man driving a group of men out. Above his head are the words, “Go on, get out of here! You have been fighting!”

—Anonymous description of graffiti found on the walls of ancient Pompeii

No Kindred claims to know exactly what relationship this Mekhat has with the infamous character popularized in song and urban legend; was Chicago’s Stagger Lee the inspiration for the story, or is he merely capitalizing on its fearsome image? He is known to have been using this name long before Lloyd Price’s song gave him the image of an urban leviathan, but one enterprising Kindred claims that Mr. Lee may indeed be summoning up even older mythical archetypes, citing ancient graffiti and folktales that share a shockingly similar plot. Of course, all attempts to track down the Kindred who supposedly compiled all this evidence have failed.

Whatever the source of his identity, the name “Stagger Lee” is most often spoken in whispers among Chicago’s Kindred, rather than spoken aloud. Outside of his covenant, the Circle of the Crone, or the Regents’ council itself, very few have conclusively laid eyes upon Mr. Lee (or Stag Lee, Stack O’Lee, the Stagger Man, Mr. Stagger, or a host of similar pseudonyms). He cuts an imposing image: a black man, standing well over six feet tall, always seen wearing an immaculate charcoal-grey suit with a blood-red tie, and a Stetson hat complete with red ribbon to match. Before the former Prince’s disappearance, Stagger was called (though never to his face) Farragut’s Hound. When a Kindred caused a bit too much trouble or took too much advantage of the Prince’s hospitality, it was said that their final clue to pack up and leave town was a pair of dice left on their doorstep, one showing three dots and one showing four. The next night, the Stagger Man would come and the violator wouldn’t be seen again.

Out of the legends, a few details can be picked out that are mundane enough to identify themselves as likely truths. Stagger Lee was indeed one of the first Kindred in Chicago immediately after the Fire; whether he was around before that is, again, a fact confined to rumor and myth. Stagger Lee is known to practice Vodou and related faiths, perhaps having done so since the time of slavery; his age, like so much else, is unknown. Whilte Stag Lee tends not to make public appearances that often, his Vodou faith and force of personality have been instrumental in the Circle of the Crone’s infiltration of the various Catholic immigrant communities in the city. With an eye for syncreticism, Stagger Lee knows just how far a faithful Catholic can go into her pagan ancestors’ beliefs before she begins to worry that her priest might not approve.

Among the speculation that surrounded Stagger Lee was the question of what it was, exactly, that tied him to Arthur Farragut.  He was loyal enough to the former Prince to take care of those things that needed taking care of.  And he was one of the orgional Regents appointed by Farragut.   There was speculation, of course, that there was a tie there that was more then just clan.   Some have even recently suggested that they were Sire and Progeny.   Perhaps it is yet another bit that will go down as simply part of the legend, for Stagger Lee has not been seen since Arthur Farragut disappeared for the last time.  While the name Stagger Lee is still spoken with a certain amount of reverance and fear, it seems to be taken for granted now that he is no longer around.  What the odds may be on his ever returning, well, that's just not the sort of thing one gambles on.

Mississippi John Hurt's version of the song (external link)

Kindred of Chicago