Sword stolen from statue of Revolutionary War hero in Westfield 40 years ago returned Updated Jan 03, 2021; Facebook Share As college pranks go, it proved to be a weighty one, the fallout from which a now aging military veteran carried around with him for almost 40 years. Until now. All that matters, explains Cindy P. Gaylord, is that a piece of Westfield’s history is back in the city’s possession and will be preserved for generations to come. On Monday of this week, Gaylord, chair of the municipal Historical Commission, sat in the driveway at her home, masked and socially distanced from her visitor, to hear face-to-face from the man who brought Gen. William Shepard’s sword back to Westfield. More specifically, it is the century-old bronze, sculpted version of the famed general’s sword, which went missing four decades ago from a monument in downtown Westfield.