Greetings: When my GGG grandfather, Jacob Harness, was hanged in Clinton in Dec 1877, there was controversy as to whether or not to use the same rope that was used to hang John Webb. See the following article. Ron Blount County Standard - Tuesday, December 25, 1877 The Rope To Hang Harness --- Sheriff Gibbs of Anderson County was in Knoxville last Thursday and purchased the rope with which to make the hang-man's knot for the hanging of Jacob Harness at Clinton on Saturday next. It was the intention to use the same rope which was used for John Webb at Knoxville in 1875, and also for Jack Hunt at Madisonville last Tuesday, and the same was sent to Sheriff Gibbs, but he preferred to have a new one for fear the other might be weakened or rendered incompetent by some means. This will be Sheriff Gibbs' first experience in this line.