Boy Scouts search for relatives of Jeannette teen who drowned in creek rescue 100 years ago

Robert W. Eicher gave his life a century ago trying to save a young girl from drowning.

Local Boy Scouts plan to honor his bravery next month, but they're missing one thing: Eicher's relatives.

“Scouting has changed with the times, but it's still building young heroes,” said Dave Slusarick, a local Boy Scouts of America official.

On Aug. 11, 1917, Eicher, 14, drowned in Loyalhanna Creek near Buttermilk Falls in Ligonier Township while trying to save Ada May “Maizie” Hugg, 15, of Jeannette. He was posthumously awarded one of the first Boy Scouts of America Gold Honor Medals. He also received a Carnegie Medal in 1918.

But for years, local Boy Scouts officials had no idea of Eicher's sacrifice — or that he was buried so close by in Jeannette Memorial Park. They want to honor him with a graveside service but hope to locate a photograph of him and include relatives of Eicher and Hugg in that ceremony.

The epitaph on his grave reads: “A Boy Hero Who Gave His Life for Another.”

“We want to involve current Scouts to help them understand,” said Slusarick, senior district executive for the Scouts' Bushy Run District of the Westmoreland-Fayette Council.

It's likely someone who knows the story is still around. A bouquet of flowers has been placed at Eicher's gravesite for many years.

It was all uncovered by Gregg Motta, a scoutmaster in Virginia and volunteer researcher for the Boy Scouts in Washington, D.C. Motta has committed himself to unearthing historical accounts of scouting as part of a leadership training course called Wood Badge. Through his research, Motta learned of Eicher's actions, as well as three other Scouts who died trying to save others.

“In scouting lore, they're kind of famous,” he said.

Eicher belonged to a Jeannette troop. He was at a Saturday afternoon picnic when Hugg jumped into the creek for a swim, according to a newspaper account, research from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission and a 1932 book, “Boy Heroes of Today.”

When she became distressed 15 feet from the bank where the water was 10 feet deep, Eicher rushed in with his clothes on to try to save her. He was three feet away from the girl when he went under. Both were swept away by the water. Divers later recovered their bodies.

Another Jeannette Scout, George Hiteshue, also dove in to try to save the girl. He was pulled from the water and resuscitated, according to accounts from the time.

Motta spent months unsuccessfully trying to find descendants of Eicher or Hugg, even cold-calling at least 40 people in Jeannette, Irwin and Greensburg with the last name Eicher. Robert Eicher had a brother who died at a young age, Motta said. He eventually passed along the information to the Westmoreland-Fayette Council.

“Oddly enough, no one knew the story in Jeannette,” he said.

Local scouting officials took over with some of the research but came up empty, Slusarick said.

“They've been sleuths in this mystery, too,” he said.

Eicher's death spurred changes in the Boy Scouts swimming and lifesaving programs to include training on the buddy system and safe swim defense.

“There's got to be a photograph of this kid somewhere,” Motta said.

Eicher's actions inspired Motta's son, Ben, to use the story in his Eagle Scout project installing ring bouys along the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, Va. On one of the life-saving rings, he attached a plaque bearing Eicher's name.

“ ‘Reach, throw, row, go with support,' ” reads the plaque, citing the Scouts' order of actions during a water rescue. “Dedicated to the memory of 2nd class scout Robert W. Eicher.”

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta.