Mel O

Here's what Folk Songs of North America says:

Johnathan Lewis was born in the late 18th century near Centre meeting house on Polecat Creek in Guilford County, NC, and belonged to a proud and pugnacious tribe. He courted lovely Naomi wise, an orphan who worked as a servant and field hand for Mr. Adams. Lewis compromised Naomi, then engaged to marry her; but when his ambitious mother found a better match for him, he resolved to do away with poor Naomi. she agreed to elope with him, and a the appointed hour took her water pail to th trysting place at Adams' spring. this spring is said to be still flowing.....

The story runs that Naomi began to complain when she realized they were riding in the wrong direction, and then John Lewis told her his real intentions. he tied her dress above her head, rode into the middle of Deep River, and held Naomi under the water with his foot. .....

Next day, in order to throw off suspicion, he went courting a girl named Martha Huzza, and the officers found him on the front porch with Martha on his lab. Confronted with Naomi's corpse, Lewis calmly stroked the dead girl's hair and denied the crime.

Before his trial, Lewis escaped from jail. He allegedly confessed to the crime on his death bed.

The song in FSofNA is slightly different from Omie Wise (2) in the DT.

Roger in Baltimore