Intelligence reaches us of the death of Abraham Schell, at his home at
Knight's Ferry, California, in the early part of February. Mr. Schell
was seventy-six years old, and was a native of this county, having been
born in the town of Wright. At the time of the gold excitement in 1849
he was in the mercantile business in Albany, but sold out and joining a
company of friends journeyed to California, where he invested his means
to good advantage and became highly successful, amassing a large
fortune. His vineyards and their product have long been celebrated. A
man of independent thought and fine literary attainments, he was one of
the sons of Schoharie county, whose enterprise and intellectual culture
we may take just pride in.

His remains are deposited in a vault there, to be brought here in the
spring by his nephew, and interred in their final resting place in the
cemetery at Middleburgh, where he has a $2,000 monument erected.

We learn from Dr. Knower that the proposed monument to his nephew at Old
Stone Fort will undoubtedly be erected, as it has been contracted for,
but the full details he will not be posted on until the arrival of the
nephew in the spring.

The above will show that death, which plays an important hand in the
events of human life, intervened; so I have gone on alone and submit it
to the public, such as it is. I hope and trust it may meet the approval
of all Californians, more particularly of those of the days to which it
refers. If they will give their approval, it will add to the happiness
and gratification of one of their compatriots of those early days of the
pioneers and founders of the State of California. What California has
become since, we, at that time, had no realization of. Instead of
conceiving it an utter impossibility of ever building one railroad