A young Williamsport boy was traded for a horse, reported the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer On This Day in 1881. A traveling band of gypsies left eight year old Eddie Willum of Williamsport with a farmer near Franklin . The gypsies traded the boy for a horse. Young Willum, according to the article, was believed to have been stolen by the gypsies. Franklin is approximately 175 miles east of Williamsport , along what is now Route 80. Franklin is in Venango County. Williamsport is in Lycoming County. Source: Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. ( Lancaster , PA ), 8 August 1881. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Library of Congress. On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events. © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015
by Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman