Show Rockne Plane in Distress f re Crash Says Witness RANCHER TELLS HOW Hoyt BIG GR CRAFT fT TO E EARTH RT Motors Backfired Wing Fell Off Craft Plunged at 45 Degree Angle OFFICIAL TAKES STAND Coroners Coroner's Jury Hears Graphic Story of Tragic Crash COTTONWOOD FALLS Kan Nan April 1 Associated Press A A coroners coroner's coroners coro coro- ners ner's jury was told today that the Transcontinental and Western Air lr Transport plane apparently was In distress for some minutes with its motors backfiring before it hurtled from the clouds yesterday to carry Knute Rockne and seven sc others to death in a pasture near Baza Bazaar r Kan Nan Robert tobert Z Blackburn stockman who vho witnessed the cr crash sh testified th that h tt t he had drawn the conclusion t. t t. t something was amiss from the do the C sits ift's engine rigl S. S tr I I h- h heard hard ard the plane jlane above the clouds Then I ceased to hear it it he hel testified After a lapse of five fi minute j. perhaps I heard It again E BACKFIRED It It seemed to linger In my hearIng hearing hearing hear hear- ing some time Then I heard the engines backfire for some time I Iwas Iwas Iwas was of the opinion on then something w-s w wrong The sound attracted the attention of my cattle Then I saw the plane coming out of the clouds at an angle of 45 degrees I watched it until it went out of sight behind a hill hUl I heard a crash The cattle raiser testified that it Continued on Page Seven ROCKNE SONS iS TAKE BODY TO CHICAGO Continued from Pare Pace One burg Ill nI p. p m. m Chillicothe Ill p. p m. m Joliet Jollet p. p m. m Father vice president o of Notre Dame university reached Kansas City Just before the train with Rockne's body came In from the west Others In the group greup that joined the party here and accompanied th the body on Its us e eastward Stward Journey were Jack and H H. Anderson assistant assistant as as- coaches at Notre Dame Edward Edward Edward Ed Ed- ward Halpin manager of the Notre Dame football team Carl King an and Howard Edwards South Bend close friends o. o Rockne and Hugh Francis Francis Fran Fran- cis director of at athletics at Pembroke school Kansas City BOYS A AWAIT V AIT MOTHER l Francis disclosed that Rockne was to have been a guest of honor at the school on May 8 on an the occasion of the annual father and son banquet |