Click on the headline to link to a YouTube film clip of G.B. Grayson performing the old time ballad Ommie Wise.
Ommie Wise Lyrics
Oh, listen to my story, I'll tell you no lies,
How John Lewis did murder poor little Omie Wise.
He told her to meet him at Adams's Springs.
He promised her money and other fine things.
So, fool-like she met him at Adams's Springs.
No money he brought her nor other fine things.
"Go with me, little Omie, and away we will go.
We'll go and get married and no one will know."
She climbed up behind him and away they did go,
But off to the river where deep waters flow.
"John Lewis, John Lewis, will you tell me your mind?
Do you intend to marry me or leave me behind?"
"Little Omie, little Omie, I'll tell you my mind.
My mind is to drown you and leave you behind."
"Have mercy on my baby and spare me my life,
I'll go home as a beggar and never be your wife."
He kissed her and hugged her and turned her around,
Then pushed her in deep waters where he knew that she would drown.
He got on his pony and away he did ride,
As the screams of little Omie went down by his side.
T'was on a Thursday morning, the rain was pouring down,
When the people searched for Omie but she could not be found.
Two boys went a-fishin' one fine summer day,
And saw little Omie's body go floating away.
They threw their net around her and drew her to the bank.
Her clothes all wet and muddy, they laid her on a plank.
Then sent for John Lewis to come to that place --
And brought her out before him so that he might see her face.
He made no confession but they carried him to jail,
No friends or relations would go on his bail.
Was Rebecca Malone wise? That was all the rage conversation over the shawlie clothesline wires that week in the hamlet of Adamsville Junction among the Little Ireland denizens of the cold water flats, triple-decker cold water flats, that lined Atlantic Street and Sea Street in that fair locale. The previous week it had been whether Laura Kenny should, or should not, allow her daughter Jennifer to leave the neighborhood public school and attend Miss Woodward’s Academy for Girls to further her education. (The shawlies split down the middle on that one).
The week before that the question was whether Jimmy Pearse, should or shouldn’t be drawn and quartered, or worst, for robbing Sid Smith’s Gas Station of twenty seven dollars and some change. The penalty to be imposed was not for the robbery itself but, one, for bringing shame on dear pious church-going Mrs. Pearse’s household, and, two, for exposing to one and all the fact that his theft was done to provide some food for the table of that penniless family. (The overwhelming opinion on that one was he should indeed be drawn and quartered for “airing the dirty linen in public.”) That week thought the question before the “council” was whether an orphan girl like Rebecca Wise should rise too far above her station and be seen all over greater Adamsville Junction riding in son of wealth Jack Lewis’ sporty brand new 1956 Buick convertible. (They overwhelming answered that no good could come of it, no good at all.)
Despite that community judgment Rebecca Wise did continue to see one John (Jack) Lewis, the heir apparent to the Lewis textile fortune. But perhaps we should back up just a bit to find out how our Orphan Annie attracted the eye of young Jack. The details of Rebecca’s birth were rather obscure, although the shawlie speculation, usually acutely accurate on such matters, had it that her mother, a cleaning woman over at the Lewis Mills, had been gotten “in the family way” by some person unknown, had left the child on Father Bill’s doorstep over at Saint Anne’s, and had fled town for parts unknown. Subsequently she was raised, and raised well, according to that same grapevine, by Sam Malone and his family of six over on Sea Street.
Orphan or not, well raised or not, Rebecca was a beauty. Was a beauty when she came of age. Long red hair (like her mother’s if the shawlie speculation was correct), tall and thin with well-turned legs and ankles. Many a Sea Street lad (and not just Sea Street, and no just lads either) spent a wistful afternoon (or midnight) dreaming about fair Rebecca. To no avail. Until Jack Lewis showed up one day in front of the Malone residence honking his horn several times for Rebecca to come out for a ride.
The details of where and how they met were a little sketchy, shawlie sketchy, and so they probably were. The best guess was that the pair had met in high school where they were known to have classes together and had some secret “crush” on each other that never got past first base because Jack was always, always, seen exclusively in the company of Lisa Adams, the daughter of the owner the Adams Chemical Company. Then Jack had gone off to college, and Rebecca to work in the Lewis Mills. Next thing that was known Jack was honking horns on Sea Street to beat the devil.
Now the rest of the story was pieced together after the fact from some witnesses, other evidence discovered, and from the police reports. Jack and Rebecca were always around town together for the next several months after that first open encounter at the Malone house. Then Rebecca was not seen at the Malone home for a few days, and Jack‘s stick-out convertible was not seen around town either. Sam Malone contacted the police with the story and here is what they found out when, after several days, they eventually found Rebecca’s body washed up on the shore at the far end of Adamsville Beach near the furious breakwater jetty.
Jack and Rebecca had not only been seen riding around town but had been seen a number of times (the hotel records listed over twenty) at the Hotel Majestic over in Centralia about twenty miles away. Somehow along the way during those Centralia (or elsewhere but no records were found) trysts Jack had gotten Rebecca “in the family way.” (I am being delicate here in case shawlie eyes read this). And that is where the problems started. Or ended. Rebecca had told one of her friends (one of her jealous over Jack friends), Lily Gillis, that if she would “do it” (again for those shawlie eyes)
Jack would marry her if anything happened, anything family way happened.
When Rebecca came up missing and Lily heard of it she reported that fact to the police and that started the long thread back.
See Jack while smitten (like I said just like every other guy in town) with Rebecca and while more than willing to take her to nice places to have sex (oops) had this little problem, or really two problems, One , unlike , Rebecca toward him, he did not love her. Two, Jack Lewis, had been practically since birth, engaged to Lisa Adams so the two houses could merge. So a pregnant, very pregnant according to the coroner’s report, orphan girl was in the way. One does not need to be a master detective to figure out what happened next.
Jack took Rebecca down to the Adamsville Beach jetty, a favorite spot for young and old to watch the sea changes, and as they walked the granite slabs he pushed her into the foaming sea. Case closed, murder one, hang the bastard. Not so quick. When they found Jack a couple of weeks later in Olde Saco, Maine, where the family had a summer home, he denied everything, denied even having seen Rebecca for weeks before. (Lisa provided some alibis for some of the times.) They kept him in jail a while but after a few months with no further evidence to pin anything on him, he walked. Yah those shawlies were right, no good could come of the relationship between Mr. Lewis and Ms. Murphy. Damn.
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