while he continued his study until his death on november 26, 1909, it is unknown if he ever built a full-scale model and attempted flight. in 1900, he wrote a letter to the secretary of war, asking for funding and promising results, but it was rejected. locals in his area have made claims that he actually did fly in november 1902, beating the wright brothers by a year. in fact, at the time of his death, boswell was pursuing lawsuit against them, but this action was never carried through by his estate. other stories tell that he made a short flight after being rolled off a barn roof back in the mid-1890s. however, no conclusive proof has surfaced to support these claims.