The first newspaper was the Tingley Times, started by J. GETTINGER in 1882 and later sold to L. O. McKINLEY, and he to Ray BROTHERS, the name being changed to the News. Then J. J. NOAH bought it, and reaching a point where he felt it necessary to appeal for help to carry the paper, and not getting it, moved the office to Wirt [present-day Ellston].

Tingley was without a paper until July, 1885, when E. B. GARRETSON of Lenox began publishing The Battle Axe. This war-like paper suspended in December. J. J. CLARK of Gravity began publishing the Tingley Independent for six months in 1886, but it, too, went the way of its predecessors.

The Tingley Vindicator was started in 1889 [94 years ago in (1983)]. One wonders if the naming of "Vindicator" had anything to do with its meaning - one who justifies, upholds, or defends. Throughout the 60 years of its existence, printed under Tingley Vindicator was the paper's motto, "A Home Paper, Devoted to the Interests of Its Supporters and the Public Good, Paid for by Many, Borrowed by Some, But Read By All." The earliest editors are not known. P. B. WILSON was editor in 1892. T. F. ARMSTRONG was a former editor, as was James NELSON, but the dates are unknown.

D. W. WATSABAUGH sold the Vindicator to Watson Edwin (W. E.) BURLEIGH August 4, 1904. the town of Tingley was very fortunate in having an editor with the dedication to the community and the superior writing ability of Ed BURLEIGH. The Vindicator was truly a quality newspaper that "pulled no punches" in the editor's column and always kept Tingley in the forefront. A prime example of this was Mr. BURLEIGH'S battle to keep the Tingley Vindicator as the official county paper.

 Tingley Vindicator, April 11, 1907

The controversy as to the which paper should be named to succeed to the official position held by the Twice-A-Week News was settled Friday by the Ringgold County board of supervisors when they selected the Tingley Vindicator as such successor. The Vindicator filed a list of 543 subscribers in Ringgold County and the Mt. Ayr Journal listed 506. [Messrs. J. S. SHEPHERD and Son owned the Mt. Ayr Journal.] It is the first time in the history of Ringgold County that an official newspaper has been selected outside of Mount Ayr, and hence we feel doubly gratified at the result.

Tingley Vindicator, January 16, 1908

The result of the count at Mt. Ayr Tuesday was in favor of the Mt. Ayr Journal by about 180, they swearing to a list of 840 while the Vindicator's list was but 660. If we had resorted to the practices of the Journal and given away subscriptions where we could not secure a legitimate subscriber, perhaps we might have won, but we prefer to go down in defeat rather than to resort to questionable means to secure the printing.

The Vindicator existed for 19 years without the printing and we can get along another 19 years if necessary. We want to thank every subscriber in this public manner for their loyalty to us in our work to secure the county printing.

  Mr. BURLEIGH was certainly an ardent booster and should be given credit for putting Tingley on the map and keeping it there. It is apparent, had Mr. BURLEIGH succeeded in all of his efforts, Tingley very well could have been the capital of southern Iowa! His attempts to attract business, obtain city water, hold the county fair, get better railroad service and better highways through Tingley, and the stressing of improved moral standards was unending.

Ed BURLEIGH operated the business until he was 80 years and 8 months old, hardly able to shuffle about to do the necessary work. In March, 1939, he sold the business to Noel B. SENEY, Sr. On August 4, 1939, Ed BURLEIGH passed away, exactly 35 years to the day from when he first printed the Vindicator in Tingley.

NOTE: W. Edward BURLEIGH was born in 1858. Ella M. BURLEIGH was born in 1867, and died in 1956. Floyd Edward, infant son of the BURLEIGHS, was born March 20, 1892, and died October 14, 1893. They were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Mr. and Mrs. SENEY printed the Vindicator from March, 1939 until November, 1946, when it was sold to Jake BONEBRAKE of the Diagonal Reporter. Mr. SENEY has become ill with cancer and died in March, 1947.

NOTE: Noel Burns SENEY, Sr. was born December 4, 1890, the son of John Franklin and Mary Florence (WHITEAKER) SENEY), and died in 1947. He married in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 20, 1921 Isabelle Katherine "Belle" SPECK. The daughter of James Lynch and Emsie Rebecca (WATERS) SPECK, Belle was born in Plattsmouth, Nebraska on August 8, 1893, and died in Boone, Iowa at the age of 91 years on March 26, 1985. Belle and Noel were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa.

Jake BONEBRAKE continued to print the Tingley Vindicator until September, 1948 (at least, that is the last issue we have), at which time the news from Tingley and vicinity was incorporated into the Diagonal Reporter. Mrs. SENEY gathered the news from Tingley, turning it into Mr. BONEBRAKE to be printed on the page of the Diagonal Reporter called the "Tingley Department." Joan HANNAH was the reporter in the 50's and Frances HANNAH was reporter after Joan.

Miss Bertha HOGUE worked for several years in the Vindicator office. Pressmen were E. A. STOVER and Mirl THOMPSON. Lee LITTLE worked there also. Emma WEEDA learned to handset type from Bertha HOGUE. Laverne ZARR, Walter ZARR, Marjorie HILLEBRAN, and Louivisa BLUNCK were employees of the firm. Mr. and Mrs. Victor SCOTT helped the SENEY'S with the paper. No doubt there are many others of whom we do not know at the time of this writing.

Tingley owes "posthumous thanks" to the early editors who have recorded Tingley's history.

NOTE: Bertha W. HOGUE was born in 1876, and died in 1963.

  SOURCE: Tingley, Iowa Centennial: 1883 - 1983. Pp. 58-9. PSI, Inc. Belmond IA. 1983.
Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, September of 2011

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2011