CONTINENTAL CONGRESS' BILL WON'T BE PAID

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 29, 1992                   TAG: 9201290165
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA                                LENGTH: Short
CONTINENTAL CONGRESS' BILL WON'T BE PAID
A merchant who lived next to Valley Forge when George Washington's bedraggled troops camped there loaned the Continental Congress $50,000 in gold and $400,000 in supplies. But Jacob DeHaven never was repaid.
His descendants sued the government for $100 billion, including interest, but on Monday the U.S. Supreme Court refused without comment to hear the case. The government said the statute of limitations ran out 123 years ago.
When DeHaven and others responded to Washington's plea for help in the winter of 1777-78, Congress offered to repay in Continental currency, which was widely considered worthless.
"So the government gave creditors another option of taking interest indefinitely," said Jo Beth Kloecker, the descendants' attorney. - Associated Press

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB