Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-19
DAYTON GETS LII Il
ON PLEA OF GUILTY.
Slayer of Marjorie 0'DonneII
!, 5pnearS in Daze Be-
Us fore Court.
CONTINUED From First paee)


The clerk asked Dayton If he wished
to make the change of plea and in an
almost inaudible voice the confessed
slayer responded, Yes with an incli-
nation of the head. When Justice Cor
don had inquired of the prisoner If he
had anything to say before sentence
was imposed Dayton had to be
prompted by Attorney Ring to answer
in the negative.
Impassioned Plea for Mercy.
Ring made an impassioned plea for
leniency to the court. pointing out that
for Is years Dayton had led a blameless
life up to three days before the homi-
eide. when he began drinking. Then
1t was, said the lawyer. that he stepped
out of that character and under the
influence of whisky which he had con-
tinued to drink for three days, he COM
mitted the crime which took away the
life of a l9-year-old girl. He pointed
out that it was Dayton who advised the
world of his crime and made no effort
to escape.
las soon as his normal faculties had
returned" said the lawyer. Dayton re-
ported his crime to hotel employees. He
still was so affected by the liquor he
their examination of him for several
hours There was no evidence of pre-
meditation, your honor. and 1 ask you
to take that into consideration in i'm
posing sentence"
Influenced Acceptance.
Justice Gordon informed counsel that
his statement was the moving cause
which Influenced the Government to
accept the plea to the lesser offenSe.
Addressing Dayton, the court then said:
dexter Dayton, the court sentences
you to spend the rest of your natural
life in the penitentiary."
As soon as Dayton had been removed
from the courtroom, Assistant United
States Attorney Neil Burkinshaw asked
the court to take up the case of Craw-
ford, announcing that Attorney John II.
Wilson had reported that his client
would plead guilty to second-degree
murder The Government also was
willing to accept that plea, the assistant
prosecutor said.
Wilson asked the court not to give
rawford, an 18-year-old boy, a greater
sentence than the minimum of 20
years, but the court, after hearing the
facts, decided to impose the maximum
of life Imprisonment.
Dayton was indicted for the murder
in the first degree of Miss O'Donnell.
Rover considered the first indictment
doubtful, however, and the case was
represented to another grand jury, to
which Attorneys Cobb and Ring filed a
challenge to the array. A second in
dictment was reported and q plea in
abatement filed to it was overruled by
Justice Peyton Gordon. The case was
expected to come to trial next week.
Dayton, by his own confession, while
IN drunken stupor, on the night OF
October 8, last, strangled to death
Marjorie Lucy O'Donnen in small
room on the eighth floor of the Roose-
welt Hotel, where they had engaged in
q disagreement.
Police, notified Of the tragedy by
hotel attendants, found the body of the
girl fully dressed, on one of the twin
beds in the room, with Dayton sitting
by her side, sobbing, denouncing him.
self for lacking courage to end his own
life with revolver which he held in
nerveless fingers.
ton, where formal charge of murder
was preferred against him, Dayton
made a voluntary confession to police.
He said that his motive had been
jealousy, intensified by the quantity OF
whisky which he had consumed prior
to the killing, and stated that he had
repeatedly entreated Miss O'Donnen to
promise to marry him, saying that he
soon would be earning enough money
to care for them both, but that she
had as many times refused.
Drank Heavily Before Meeting Her.
Dayton told police that he had an
engagement with Miss ODonnell the
day she was killed and that before
meeting her he began to drink heavily
and during the afternoon registered at
the hotel. He previously had arranged
to take the girl to dinner at local
hotel the evening of october z, he said.
After meeting the girl, he invited
her to come to his room at the Roose-
welt for a drink before dinner. AL
though Miss O'Donnell had never been
to a hotel with him before, Dayton
told investigators, she consented to &C
company him on that occasion. They
had a few drinks and left the hotel,
Dayton said, and then went to dinner,
later returning.
The prisoner told police he felt GER
tain they began to quarrel about the
possibility Of their marrying shortly
after midnight. He said he upbraided
the girl because of her reluctance to
be engaged and that she replied by re-
ferring to an interest in another man.
Dayton said he then became so incensed
that he lost control of himself and
seized the girl and that they struggled
about the room, finally falling on the
bed.
Awakes TO Learn Of Deed.
He woke about noon the next day, he
said, to realize for the first time what
he had done when he saw the body
of the girl lying on the bed beside him.
He then decided to kill himself with
revolver which he had in his possession
at the hotel, but that he couldn't get
up his nerve He picked up bottle
of liquor, thinking it would steel his
courage, he said. but this failed and
later he lost consciousness either from
sleep OF intoxication.
Waking up about 2:30 o'clock the
next morning, he said he again de-
termined to kill himself and put the
revolver to his temple and pulled the
trigger. Though he tried several times,
according to his statement, the shells
failed To explode. Then, entirely los
ing courage, he called bell boy by
telephone and told him to call police.
Some time before the crime was dis
covered Dayton wrote an incoherent
three-page note on hotel stationery de-
scribing his quarrel with her, his love
for her and his determination to kill
himself. The note said, in part: Il
am going to kill my sweetheart and
then myself. I know / love
her Without her love I cam
not live. Now that the effect
of the liquor Is wearing of, I shall be-
gin drinking again and get up Dutch
courage to kill myself"
Dayton was employed as salesman
by an insurance company and roomed
at 1918 H street. He had known the
girl for several months prior to the
tragedy. Miss O'Donnell. who resided
with a sister in an apartment at 1921
Sixteenth street was native of Pitts
hurFh. the daughter of q neWspa per