The Daily Fulton
October 15, 2021
“The Dun Maylock: A Legacy of Terror, Not Trickery”
From the archives. Contributor: Spence Hutchins, Curator of the Fulton Hills Historical Society. Republished with written permission from C.W.H.
By C.W.H.
I’m no stranger to hearing people try to rewrite history to fit their own comforting narratives, but Jamie Thorn’s 1975 article in The Hiller Hammer might take the cake. Thorn called the Dun Maylock “rebellious pranksters” and suggested their bloody handprint was nothing more than a symbol of anarchy, co-opted by murderers and corrupt officials.
It’s a quaint theory, Jamie, but it doesn’t hold water—not then, not now. Let me tell you why the Dun Maylock were never a band of merry jesters sticking it to the man. They were, and remain, something far darker.
Pranks Don’t Leave Corpses
Jamie liked to highlight the so-called “harmless” pranks of the Dun Maylock—horses in the mayor’s office, books rearranged in cryptic patterns, hay pyramids in Nudha. Sure, those might sound like the antics of bored troublemakers. But let’s not forget what followed those pranks.
Take the Library Book Swap of 1887. While Jamie laughed off the cryptic messages spelled out on the shelves, no one seemed to ask why, within weeks of that event, two prominent community leaders were found dead—one with a bloody handprint on their barn door. Coincidence? I don’t believe in them.
Or consider the Slafton homestead fire in the 1870s. It started with harmless-sounding pranks—a fence painted red overnight, missing livestock—but it ended with the murder of an entire family, their home reduced to ashes. What kind of “pranksters” leave bloody handprints and broken bodies in their wake?
A Symbol of Control, Not Anarchy
Jamie argued that the bloody handprint was a statement of rebellion, an anti-authoritarian symbol hijacked by others. Nice try, but here’s the truth: the handprint wasn’t co-opted; it was claimed.
The Dun Maylock used their mark not to mock authority but to establish control. That handprint said, “We decide who lives and who dies.” It wasn’t a joke—it was a warning. Their victims weren’t random; they were chosen with purpose, whether to send a message, exact revenge, or maintain their power.
And let’s not forget the curses. Entire households ruined—crops failing, livestock dying, children wasting away. These weren’t the actions of anarchists making a political statement. These were calculated acts of terror, designed to instill fear and subjugation.
Who Benefits?
Jamie liked to ask, “Who benefits from the fear?” I’ll tell you: the Dun Maylock themselves. Fear was their currency. It allowed them to operate in the shadows, silencing dissent and ensuring their legend grew larger than life.
Jamie’s theory about the Dun Maylock being “erased” is laughable. They weren’t erased; they thrived in the silence. The lack of public knowledge about their inner workings only strengthened their mystique, making it easier for them to continue their reign of terror unnoticed.
The Modern Dun Maylock
So, where are they now? If you think they disappeared, you haven’t been paying attention. In the digital age, control doesn’t require bloody handprints or public displays. It’s done through manipulation, hacking, and misinformation.
The same tactics they used in the 19th century—sowing fear, exploiting weakness, and targeting those who disrupt their plans—are alive and well. Only now, the handprint is digital. Who’s to say they’re not influencing local politics, disrupting the economy, or silencing whistleblowers with the push of a button?
The Real Dun Maylock
Jamie wanted to paint a picture of misunderstood rebels, a romanticized group of jokesters taken down by society’s elite. But that’s not the Dun Maylock we’ve come to know through generations of their handiwork.
The Dun Maylock were, and still are, a force of terror. They didn’t seek to rebel against authority—they sought to bethe authority, the sole arbiters of right and wrong. And they’ve never stopped reminding us who’s really in control.
Stay vigilant, Fulton County. The Dun Maylock are watching.
- C.W.H.
Seeker of Truth, Bearer of Light