IIRC, one of his family members or close associates came out and said he didn't really believe in flat earth, and just pretended he did so flat earthers would fund the stunt he wanted to do. Could be true, but maybe isn't. Who knows. Regardless, speaking ill of the dead is inadvisable.That's what led to the demise of that one steam rocket guy. The bible told him to get in a rocket and go to 5000' so he could see that the earth was flat.
I think my favorite flat earth moment was when one of them bought that $25,000 gyroscope and found that it precessed relative to him at 15° per hour...