The San Francisco call., 1898-01-28
FLOODS PLEA
 FOR PARDON Story of a Remarkable Dedication Vividly
 Recalled.
Defaulting Cashier Confessed. but Told a Strange Story
 of Shielding Others.
Stockholders of the Bank Were Never Called Upon to Pay Any Portion
 of the Loss of S14e,OOO.

The application now pending before the Board of State Prison Directors for. the pardon of John w. Flood recalls the story of a remarkable dedication. Flood was the trusted cashier of the old banking house of Donohoe. Kelly & Co. One day the surprising revelation was made that he had taken s166. 900 of the banks money. The founders of the bank could hardly believe the state ment when the positive proof was pre- sented to them.
 To make a long story short Flood confessed to the embezzlement, but de- clared the money was taken to protect others, but he declined to reveal the identity of the person or persons about whom he had thrown the mantle of protecting silence. Mystery was there fore added to the wrongdoing. After ] considerable delay in court Flood was convicted. sentenced and sent to San Quentin Prison. where he has been con- fined for nearly four years.
 The bank obtained property in the possession of Flood amounting in value to S20,000. The remaining deficit of s146.- GOO was paid by the families, respect lively, of MT. Donohoe and Mir. Kelly. The stockholders of the bank were nev- CT called upon to sustain any part of the loss. A few days ago the bank consented to the release of an attach- ment on the home of Flcod. When Flood went before the prison directors to make a statement in his own behalf and present the reasons for asking that a pardon be granted he told pretty much the same story that he gave to the managers of the bank lf ha IAf closed. He declined, as in the first in- stance, to disclose the identity of the i person or persons for whom the money was taken.
 A vague hint was once thrown out ! that the son-in-law of a well-known United States Senator failed 10 make l good large sum of money which Flood advanced to him to cover an in- stant emergency at the office of a l broker; but this man who was reported to have been assisted by Floods con- fideuce and generosity tTelts the ru- nor with playful scorn, observing that no one would think of crediting him with one-tenth of the sum mentioned by Flood.
 No steps have been taken by any one representing the bank or speaking for the families of the men who founded the banking institution to place sin gle obstacle in the way of Floods par
 
 Flood the venerable bankers, MT. Don oboe and Mir Kelly. have been gath eIed to their fathers. To the last they cherished no feeling of resentment or animosity toward the trusted employe who had so grievousiy betrayed the confidence which they had reposed in him, nor do their descendants harbor any ill-will toward the old and broken down cashier now serving a term in San Quentin. The law will take its course without any suggestion or in dication from the bank. Flood was in the service of Donohoe & Kelly for l twenty years. He is now about 67 years of age, and two years of his sen tence to imprisonment remain to be served.
 The story that the defaulter took the money to shield some person or persons from disgrace and exposure is not cred ited by men familiar with the circum- | stances of the dedication. The pecu- lations covered period of years, as the doctOred books indicated