Originally Aired: February 24, 1956
Johnny Dollar #335, "The Bennet Matter Ep 5," finds Johnny and Andy Cord waiting anxiously at the courthouse as the jury deliberates the fate of George Foley, the arsonist who torched Arnold Bennett's building. When the guilty verdict comes in, a desperate Foley summons Johnny to his cell, claiming he wants to help bring down Bennett. What follows is a frustrating interrogation as Foley's story constantly shifts. He claims Bennett hired him to burn the building for insurance money, but the details keep changing. Was the payment one thousand dollars or twenty-five hundred? Did they meet in person or arrange everything by phone? Did Bennett leave the money at a bus terminal checkstand, or did he hand it over in his car on Market Street?
Johnny and Andy press Foley hard, catching him in contradiction after contradiction. While Foley consistently maintains that Bennett hired him for the arson job, his jumbled and conflicting accounts of when, where, and how they met make his testimony nearly worthless. Despite their frustration, Johnny remains confident they can still nail Bennett with or without Foley's cooperation.