His leg was broken, the skin and flesh were all torn away, and he was held by the tendons.

It was a foreleg that was caught, and he would put his hind feet against the jaws of the trap, and then draw by pressing with his feet, till he would stretch those tendons to their utmost extent.
"I have known them to work away till they really pulled these tendons out of the foot, and got off.

It was a great event in our neighborhood when a bear was caught.

Whoever caught him blew a horn, and the men and boys came trooping together to see the sight.

I've known them to blow that horn on a Sunday morning, and I've seen the men turn their backs on the meeting house to go and see the bear." "Was there no more merciful way of catching them than by this trap ?" asked Miss Laura.
"Oh, yes, by the deadfall that is by driving heavy sticks into the ground, and making a boxlike place, open on one side, where two logs were so arranged with other heavy logs upon them, that when the bear seized the bait, the upper log fell down and crushed him to death.
Another way was to fix a bait in a certain place, with cords tied to it, which cords were fastened to triggers of guns placed at a little distance.