Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-09
Stays With Body IL Hours
Before Calling PoIice-Ad-
mits He Was Drunk.
HOTEL ROOM is SCENE
OF TRAGIC QUARREL
Insurance Salesman Tells Officers
He Could Not Nerve Himself
to Suicide.

In a small room on the eighth floor
of the Roosevelt Hotel on Sixteenth
street, police early today came upon
the tragic sequel to an old story.
Upon one of twin beds lay the llfe-
less body of Marjorie Lucy O'Donnell,
clad in a dark orange evening frock.
She had been strangled to death more
than IL hours before.
Beside her sat Dexter Churchill Day.
ton, sobbing because he had been un-
able to summon courage to shoot him.
self with the revolver he held in nerve
less fingers.
The young man still wore the trousers
of evening dress. He had removed his
starched shirt because 1t was blood
stained.
Empty Bottles Found in Room.
Nearby on the dresser top were two
empty pint bottles, purported to have
contained bonded rye.
The girl, who was %, resided with a
sister, Miss Katherine ODonnell, in an
apartment at 1921 Sixteenth street. She
was an employe of the National Geo.
graphic Society.
The young man, who has given police
a full confession of having Strangled his
sweetheart, was two years older He
rccmed at 1918 H street, and was en-
ployed as salesman by an insurance
company.
After a formal charge of murder had
been lodged against him at No. pre-
cinct Dayton declared he had no use for
a lawyer, but asked that Catholic
priest attend him that he might make
confession. His request was granted,
and Father j L. Kilkenny, an assistant
at st. Paul's Catholic Church, was called
to the precinct.
Dayton walked into a small room at
the precinct with the priest, and his at
tendants halted in the corridor outside
the door while the young man confessed.
In a voluntary statement to police,
Dayton said his motive had been
jealousy, intensified by the quantity of
whisky he had consumed since early
Monday He said he had repeatedly
entreated Miss O'Donnell to promise to
marry him, saying he would soon be
earning enough money to care for them
both. but that she had as many times
refused, indicating that she might
marry" another man.
Coroners Inquest Tomorrow.
r. Dayton was taken to police head
quarters in No. 8 precinct patrol this
morning to be photographed and ex-
amined, and later was returned to
quest, called by DR.. j. Ramsey hewitt
for II 80 o'clock tomorrow morning.
What Dayton did between the time
he strangled the girl in fit of Jealous
rage, presumably Tuesday morning, and
the hour he called police, apparently Is
still clouded in his memory. :.
He is certain they began to quarrel
shortly after midnight Tuesday. AT
that time. Dayton said, he upbraided
the girl for her reluctance to become
engaged to him, and she replied by re-
ferrinQ to the other man.
Dayton said he had been drinking
heavily meanwhile, although the girl
had taken only few drinks. When
he became so incensed he could no
longer control himself, he seized the
girl and they struggled about the room,
finally falling on the bed.
II woke up later that day." Dalton
tod police.
"It must have been getting on toward
noon. because the sunlight was strong
outside. Then I began to realize what
1 had done to the girl who was lying
beside me. The thought was so awful
I made up my mind to kill myself, but
found I couldn't get up the nerve.
Lost Consciousness Again.
st grabbed for the bottle-there
wasn't much left by that time-in the
hope that it would steel me for the
act. But couldn't shoot myself, and
after that I lost consciousness again,
perhaps from sleep, perhaps from the
liquor.
Dayton said he regained consciousness
about 2:30 this morning. He said he
reused himself, sat for moment con-
templating his pistol, then turned it
to his temple and pulled the trigger.
''It wouldn't go off," he declared,
although I snapped the hammer on
several shells. Then knew couldn't
kill myself and decided to call in the.
police I telephoned for bellboy; he
came in a moment later, and told
him to call to the officers"
In describing the events leading up
to the tragedy, Dayton said he made
a date" with the girl Saturday to see
her Saturday night at her home. He
said he called about 9 o'clock, and. at
that time made an engagement to take
her to local hotel for dinner Monday
night.
Started Drinking Monday.
Dayton declared he started drinking
early Monday morning, and went to the
hotel about IL am. that same day and
registered. He continued drinking dur
ing the afternoon, he said, and later
met the girl, inviting her to come to
his room for drinks before going out
to dine.
Although Miss O'Donnell had never
been to hotel with him before, Day.
ton said, she consented to accompany
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