But it is incredible that any one who knows a bear from a Berkshire hog could for an instant mistake Monarch for any variety of tamable bear or imagine that any man ever had the hardihood to give him dancing lessons.

When Monarch found himself caught in the syndicate trap on Gleason Mountain, he made furious efforts to escape.  He bit and tore at the logs, hurled his great bulk against the sides and tried to enlarge every chink that admitted light.  He required unremitting attention with a sharpened stake to prevent him from breaking out.

For a full week the Grizzly raged and refused to touch food that was thrown to him.  Then he became exhausted and the task of securing him and removing him from the trap was begun.  The first thing necessary was to make a chain fast to one of his fore-legs.  That job was begun at eight o’clock in the morning and finished at six o’clock in the afternoon.  Much time was wasted in trying to work with the chain between two of the side logs.  Whenever the bear stepped into the loop as it lay upon the floor and the chain was drawn tight around his fore-leg just above the foot, he pulled it off easily with the other paw, letting the men who held the chain fall over backward.  The feat was finally accomplished by letting the looped chain down between the roof logs, so that when the bear stepped into it and it was drawn sharply upward, it caught him well up toward the shoulder.

Having one leg well anchored, it was comparatively easy to introduce chains and ropes between the side logs and secure his other legs.  He fought furiously during the whole operation, and chewed the chains until he splintered his canine teeth to the stubs and spattered the floor of the trap with bloody froth.  It was painful to see the plucky brute hurting himself uselessly, but it could not be helped, as he would not give up while he could move limb or jaw.

The next operation was gagging the bear so that he could not bite.  The door of the trap was raised and a billet of wood was held where he could seize it, which he promptly did.  A cord made fast to the stick was quickly wound around his jaws, with turns around the stick on each side, and passed back of his ears and around his neck like a bridle.  By that means his jaws were firmly bound to the stick in such a manner that he could not move them, while his mouth was left open for breathing.

While one man held the bear’s head down by pressing with his whole weight upon the ends of the gag, another went into the trap and put a chain collar around the Grizzly’s neck, securing it in place with a light chain attached to the collar at the back, passing down under his armpits and up to his throat, where it was again made fast.  The collar passed through a ring attached by a swivel to the end of a heavy chain of Norwegian iron.  A stout rope was fastened around the bear’s loins also, and to this another strong chain was attached.  This done, the gag was removed and the Grizzly was ready for his journey down the mountain.