Stagger Lee has become an archetype , the embodiment of a tough black man ; one who is sly , streetwise , cool , lawless , amoral , potentially violent , and who defies white authority . Within thirty years of Shelton 's death , Benjamin Botkin records stories of his having been born with a caul over his face ( signifying one with the power to see spirits and destined for trouble ) , or of having sold his soul to the Devil ( in exchange for the hat , said to be magic , over which he killed Billy Lyons ) . Additional legends credit him with the ability to transform himself into animals , of having caused the San Francisco earthquake , and of having fought a duel with Jesse James
San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Lee Shelton