It was thought that a thief had targeted the Co-operative Store at Windy Nook on more than one occasion. It was suspected that meat that had been in the store when it closed in the evening was gone the following morning. A trap was set by sawdust being sprinkled on the floor of the butcher’s department last thing at night. The following morning footprints were found leading across the sawdust, which confirmed the society committee’s suspicions a thief had been targeting the store at nights. The committee decided to employ a few men to keep watch for two or three nights to try and catch the culprit. There was already talk that the thief was John William Noble, a blacksmith of the area. On the night of 31 October 1907, four men, George Ather, Christopher Carr, John Joseph Cowell and John Patterson were hired for the watch. Ather was positioned at one side of the office and the other three in the mincing room. Mr Sutton, manager of the butchering department, went through the usual form and locked the door of the store from the outside at about nine forty-five.
About one o’clock on the morning of 1 November the watchers saw the lamp of the policeman as he walked his beat, trying the door to make sure it was secure as he passed. At four o’clock the watchers saw another lamp outside. There was no sound of footsteps, but the door of the store was opened from the outside. Ather heard the key being removed from the outside lock and he could see the dim shape of a man as he entered. The man then locked the door from the inside, and with a lantern in one hand and what looked like a stick under his arm, made his way to the slaughterhouse. The shadowy figure then returned to the front of the store. Carr and Patterson came out from the mincing room with Cowell behind them. Carr and Patterson rushed at the man and got hold of him by the left side and Ather took hold of his right wrist. Cowell went to the door to turn on the light but could not get it to come on. A violent struggle took place in virtual darkness. The intruder was a large and powerful man and was obviously intent on not being overpowered. Carr let go his hold to pick up a butcher’s steel from the counter. With this he hit the man twice on the back of the head. Cowell was coming back from the door when he suddenly shouted out ‘He’s got a revolver’. As Cowell shouted his warning, the man fired the weapon, the bullet hitting Patterson just above his left eye. The injured man fell to the floor just as the weapon was fired a second time, this time the bullet hitting Carr, wounding him quite seriously. Ather and Cowell were left struggling with a desperate and armed man in the dark. Common sense prevailed and the three men headed for the door, Ather grabbing a hammer as he left. Cowell went for the police while Ather and Carr held the door to try and keep the intruder in the store. Two men that were passing heard the commotion and one went to fetch Mrs Ather. As she was coming round the corner she heard someone try to break a window. She alerted her husband who ran to the window. A man was easing himself out of the broken window. Ather hit him twice with the hammer, once on the leg and once on the body but the man ran off and was soon out of sight. Patterson died within the hour.
When the police arrived they found a false beard, a cap and a stick. They believed the stick had been used to sabotage the lights. The three survivors, although the store had been dark, felt sure that the intruder was, as they suspected, John Noble. On a search being made of Noble’s house new blankets, sheets and rolls of material were found in two sets of drawers. Under the bed were tins of mustard, boot polish and tablets of soap. Some of the goods were marked Co-operative Wholesale Society. There was also a set of keys for the store. Noble was arrested for the crimes and sentenced to death for wilful murder by Justice Channell. At first there was anger and contempt for the murderer but after the sentencing the feelings changed to sympathy for Noble’s wife and family. There was speculation as to why the police had not been called in by the management committee of the store to handle the situation when theft was suspected. Also why did the men not alert the local policeman when he tried the door to make sure it was secure? If this had been done Noble would probably only have been charged with shop breaking and the shooting would never have taken place.
A petition was sent to the Home Secretary with a plea to reprieve the condemned man but it was denied. The brothers Henry and Thomas Pierrepoint carried out the execution on 24 March 1908. Robert Lawman was also executed for murder on the same day. It was the first execution at Durham for four years and the first double execution for six years.