Evening star., 1940-12-24
Five Children Perish
With Mother in Fire
Near Oxon Hill, Md.
Father Learns Of
Tragedy on Return
From Work
(Picture on Page A-3.)

A mother and her five children
were burned to death early today
when flames swept through their
two-story frame cottage on the Fort
Foot road, near Oxon Hill, Md,
where the family had been preparing
to celebrate Christmas after brave
struggle against adversely.
Alton Heinbuch, the husband and
father, did not learn of the tragedy
until he returned home after work.
ing all night on a job he had OBJ
tanned recently following a long Pc
riod of unemployment.
He was taken, dazed, to his BROTH
er's home, while firemen searched
the smoldering ruins and recovered
the six bodies. The police listed the
dead as follows:
Mrs. Dorothy Heinbuch, about 35;
Catherine, Is; Helen, 13; Altha, II;
Grace, 8, and Conrad Heinbuch, g.
The father had left home shortly
after 9 o'clock last night to go to his
job at a warehouse of the American
Food Stores here. While he was
working, packing food for Christmas
delivery, his wife sat up at home
making holly wreaths which she in
tended to sell to a neighbor.
House Built Last Spring.
Some time after dawn, a fire
started in the house where the six
slept. The flames must have spread
rapidly, for by the time neighbors
discovered the fire the house was
enveloped.
Nothing could be done to save
any of the family. Relatives who
lived nearby watched in horror as
the cottage. built only last spring,
burned to the ground.
The Heinbuchs had purchased
the land, about 3 miles from Oxon
Hill, and moved into their new
home last May-but Mr.. Heinbuch
lost his job. They planted small
garden and Mr.. Heinbuch found
temporary work from time to time.
Three months ago, he obtained a
job with the American Food Stores.
Mrs Heinbuch also found part
time work. The children were in
school at Oxon Hill and 1t ap-
peared that Christmas-the first
they had spent in their new home
would be a day which marked the
turning of their fortunes for the
better.
Order for Christmas Wreaths.
Mrs. Heinbuch had called at the
hnt,4n nf a f,-io,,I Ia c& fo1,t
told of the order she had to work
on Christmas wreaths. She said
she planned to stay up late to COM
plete the task and said the older
children would help her.
Lights burned in the house dur
ing the evening-but nothing more
was heard from the family until a
short time after sunup this morning.
Then Roy Budd, whose family lives
nearby, saw smoke billowing up from
the screen of trees surrounding the
house.
He ran to the home of Kenneth
Heinbuch, a brother of Alton. Mrs.
Kenneth Heinbuch rushed to the
scene, saw the house was blazing,
and sent call for firemen from the
nearest telephone.
She said she thought she heard
a sound from within the house-as
if some one were crying out. But
she was not sure; it might have
been the sound of the fire.
The call for flremen was made
from the home of G. Cleveland
Kirby, not far away, and reached
the Oxon Hill Volunteer Fire De-
parement at 7:50 am.
Find Blazing Ruin.
Firemen said there was nothing
but a blazing ruin when they ar
rived 10 or Is minutes later. There
was nothing they could save, but
they turned their hoses on the
wreckage.
They had not been there long
when Mr.. Heinbuch arrived. The
firemen said he had no previous
knowledge of the tragedy.
The flames were extinguished in
a short time and the Oxon Hill
firemen, aided by other volunteers
from Clinton, Accoceek and Forest
vile, searched the ruins for the
bodies.
The positions of the bodies indi-
Gated the mother and one of the
children had been sleeping in a
downstairs bedroom, while the other
four children had been asleep in
two upstairs rooms All of the
bodies we're charred beyond recog-
milton.
Believed to Have Died in Sleep.
Coroner James I. Boyd of Prince
Georges County viewed the bodies,
which were removed to Ritchie's
funeral parlors, near Oxon Hill, and
said he would issue certificates of
accidental death.
After inspecting the scene, DR..
Boyd said he believed all must have
died in their sleep.
The cottage was heated by an oil
burner, wood stove and several
smaller oil stoves. Firemen ex-
pressed the opinion the fire had
eto u nl Nn1 -f ~.