Dan's Papers - June 15, 2007 - "Until Bloodied"

Twenty years ago, somebody stole a historic metal marker from its pole, just across from the Sagg School in Sagaponack. They just clipped the bolts and took it off. There was a big hubbub about it at the time, but things cooled down and the empty pole was removed and soon people forgot about it. The sign, made of bronze with raised letters, was never found.

Ten years ago, the State of New York arranged for money to be available to replace the sign. But when those involved went to look for the folder with a description of what had been written on it, they couldn't find it.

Eventually, they went around Sagaponack asking people if they remembered what it said. And as a result of this, the sign was recast with the following inscription, in raised yellow letters on a black background.

Spider Legged Mill
Site of the Spider Legged Mill to Which Major Cochrane Tied William Russell During the Revolution and Ordered Him Whipped Until Bloodied.

And so it has remained, back where it was, until this day.

About three years ago, however, it was discovered that it was not the wicked Major Cochrane who had whipped the rebel, but a bunch of rebels, led by William Russell, who whipped Major Cochrane.

Honestly, at the time when this was discovered, I felt that this was surely a just turn of events, not only because the Rebels eventually won the war for us, but because Major Cochrane, whoever he was, had -- unintentionally to be sure -- caused me much personal discomfort every time I went by that sign, read it again, and imagined him cackling sadistically as he went about whipping the poor and bloodied William Russell.

In any case, in the same way that the whole business died down ten years before, it died down again. And so the sign remains, with the whipper confused with the whippee and if there is something in the works to make things right here, I certainly don't know about it.

On April 1 of this year, at 6:30 in the morning, a man in a two-door Saturn sedan drove directly into the war memorial monument in the center of downtown Bridgehampton three miles away from the Spider Mill Marker. The car's front crumpled up until it came to a halt. The monument moved about six inches off center but did not fall. To the best of anyone's knowledge, this was the first time that anyone had ever driven into the monument. The driver was shaken up by the experience but otherwise unharmed. The police came and gave him a ticket.

It did not take long for the wheels to go into motion for the repair of the War Memorial. Monies were made available. And North Shore Monuments won the bid.

During the negotiations with the repair firm, it was noted that they were very good at polishing and repairing bronze plaques. As it happens, there are four bronze plaques bolted to the Bridgehampton War Memorial. The reason for this is that when they originally built the war memorial in 1903, the United States had only fought four wars. The dates of these four wars were therefore carved on each of the four sides of the monument, directly into the stone. (The French and Indian War, 1660; The Revolutionary War, 1776; The War of 1812, 1812; and The Civil War, 1861). When more wars came along it was decided that bronze plaques should be struck to commemorate them and these plaques bolted to the monument above the carved wars. Thus was placed a bronze plaque for World War I, 1914-18; World War II, 1941-45; the Korean Conflict, 1950-53; and the Vietnam War, 1964-73.) For further wars, stone markers were placed on the elevated level that supported the rest of the monument.

Well, anyway, the firm North Shore Monuments was contracted not only to repair the war memorial, but also to polish it up, clean up and polish the bronze plaques, and while they were at it, clean and polish the bronze plaques that elsewhere noted various other sites of importance in the community.

I do not know if the Spider Legged Mill plaque got on this list or not, but at the present time, the workmen from North Shore Monuments are making their way around town, cleaning and brushing and polishing.

So far, they haven't gotten to the Spider Leg Mill monument. But if they do, they will polish it up and meanwhile share in the sadness of poor Mr. Russell getting whipped by that awful Colonel Cochrane all those years ago.

Who could ever forget?

The above was written last Thursday. This is now Tuesday. They've been down there. Major Cochran and Company are all shined up.