06/13/2026
GLEASON, TN: Possum Hunt Ends in Pistols, Knives, and Plenty of Regret: Gleason, Nov. 8, 1903 — What began as an ordinary moonlit possum hunt in the woods near Gleason ended with enough excitement to fill a dime store novel, several wounded hunters, and likely a few embarrassed explanations to parents and sweethearts.
According to reports published in the Nashville American, a group of young men had gathered on the outskirts of town for a night of hunting. Possums were the intended target, but before the evening was over, the hunters themselves became the quarry.
The trouble started when a little trio of woodsmen wandered about a half-mile from the rest of the party. Finding a hollow tree and feeling more mischievous than sensible, they decided it might be amusing to frighten their companions.
One of the pranksters hid inside the tree while the others rustled around in the darkness, hoping to convince the rest of the hunters that some terrible creature was lurking in the woods.
Unfortunately, the joke worked a little too well.
The startled hunters, unable to see clearly in the dark and already keyed up by the noises of the forest, became convinced they were under attack. In a flash, pistols were drawn, knives appeared, and confusion took command of the situation.
By the time the dust settled and cooler heads prevailed, several members of the hunting party had suffered cuts, bruises, and gunshot wounds.
Among the injured were Will Hamilton, a well-known young businessman of Gleason, who received a serious wound to the heart region of his left shoulder. Sol Levy of Nashville suffered a wound to his arm.
Claude Deason was cut on the neck and hand, while another participant narrowly escaped serious injury when a pistol bullet struck a suspender buckle and stopped before reaching its intended destination.
That humble suspender buckle may well have been the most heroic piece of metal in Weakley County that night.
Doctors were summoned, wounds were treated, and thankfully, all of the injured men were expected to recover. Reports suggested that most of the injuries came not from any real danger in the woods, but from the hunters accidentally turning their weapons on one another in the confusion.
One can only imagine the conversation afterward.
"Did you see the monster?"
"No, but I shot at it."
"What was it?"
"Turns out it was Earl hiding in a tree."
The possums, meanwhile, were reportedly unharmed and likely watched the entire affair from a safe distance.
If a possum could laugh, it probably did.
"Have you heard the story of the famous possum hunt in Gleason"?
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Photo created for demo only by Weakley County History
Information compiled a newspaper article in the Nashville American submitted by the Dresden Enterprise 1903
By: Robert G Reynolds of Weakley County History
