February 25, 2021 / Joanne Yeck

Buckingham County Crimes: The Murder of Meade Hanes, Part VII

Senator Sands Gayle. Courtesy Find A Grave.

Need to catch up? Click here to begin the series: Buckingham County Crimes: The Murder of Meade Hanes, Part I

Who was Senator Sands Gayle?

Soon after the murder of Meade Hanes, Senator Sands Gayle was announced as the Glover family’s choice to defend their son, Mott.

According to Wikipedia, Sands Gayle (13 February 1870 – 21 December 1918) was a lawyer and Democratic politician who served in the Virginia Senate, representing the 18th district, from 4 January 1905 – 9 January 1907. His entry includes this biographical information:

Born in Hanover County, Virginia, the son of Confederate veteran Mordecai Gayle and his wife, the former Virginia Broaddus, he graduated from Richmond College (now the University of Richmond) in 1897.

He practiced law in North Carolina and served in the North Carolina legislature before moving his legal practice to Buckingham County, Virginia. Active in the local Democratic party (that became the Byrd Organization after his death), he won election and re-election to the state senate in a district that included Appomattox, Buckingham, Fluvanna and Charlotte Counties. He died in office after an illness of about two months] and Samuel Lewis Ferguson replaced him in the 1919 extra session and also won re-election.

In 1910, Sands Gayle (age 40) lived in Buckingham County’s Maysville District with his wife, Sara B. (age 30), and the daughters, Elizabeth B. (age 7) and Laura F. (age 3). Included in the household was Mary Brown (age 25), an African-American servant.

Senator Gayle is buried in Riverview Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. Learn more at Find-A-Grave: Sands Gayle.

If a Slate River Ramblings reader knows what brought Sands Gayle to Buckingham County, please comment.

Coming Next: Buckingham County Crimes: The Murder of Meade Hanes, Part VIII