When Thomas Applebee married Alma Farnestock in Canada, he was 70 years old. Alma was 39. They had both been married before. Her first husband was dead and Thomas had divorced his first wife to marry the attractive middle-aged widow. The affair had been a nine-day scandal in their Canadian home. They had shortly moved to Bournemouth, near Southampton to start their new life. Thomas was described as a bitter old man who only paid attention to his money and his bottle. Alma was pretty and had no children. It seemed that half the men Bournemouth were in love with her. When Thomas Applebee died at the age of 75 of a broken skull, there was very little sympathy for him, but much for his wife Alma, until she spoke to a sergeant of the Bournemouth Police who had been summoned by Doctor Owen Trelawney, the attending physician. Alma told the sergeant "I did it. I tell you I did it. Tell the coroner I did. That's all i have to say". The sergeant says "Madam, do you know what you're saying in the presence of witnesses?" She said "Certainly, I know what I'm saying. I killed him. I hit him on his head with a mallet".