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In hadith Sahih Muslim 2942 preislamic companions of prophet found Dajjal chained on an island.
This beast tells them to go to this monastery. They find him chained up.
Why didn't they kill him? If someone claims to be the antichrist and will harm your people in the future, why not end it now then?
Prophet SAW said clearly, if he comes in my time I will be enough for him..
'Abdullah reported: We were along with Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) that we happened to pass by children amongst whom there was Ibn Sayyad. The children made their way but Ibn Sayyad kept sitting there (and it seemed) as if Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) did not like it (his sitting with the children) and said to him: May your nose he besmeared with dust, don't you bear testimony to the fact that I am the Messenger of Allaah? Thereupon he said: No, but you should bear testimony that I am the messenger of Allaah. Thereupon 'Umar b. Khattab said: Allaah's Messenger, permit me that I should kill him. Thereupon Allaah's Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: If he is that person who is in your mind (Dajjal ), you will not be able to kill him.
Possibly because they don't know what Dajjal is apart from the description given by Dajjal himself, or they don't know for sure if he speaks the truth, or more likely, they are incapable of killing him at the time. For example, whoever chained him up is likely also guarding him.
The hadith doesn't mention who else is on this island or who chained him, except for a man/beast named Jassassa (some scholars interpret this word as A Spy, from the root word Jasoos).
I believe the question you are asking is based on a mistranslation.
Since the hadith in question is long I'll quote here the most relevant part:
…وَإِنِّي مُخْبِرُكُمْ عَنِّي إِنِّي أَنَا الْمَسِيحُ وَإِنِّي أُوشِكُ أَنْ يُؤْذَنَ لِي فِي الْخُرُوجِ…
According to the sunnah.com, this translates to:
…I am going to tell you about myself and I am Dajjal and would be soon permitted to get out…
However, the chained person in the Arabic text is clearly quoted as saying "أَنَا الْمَسِيحُ", which is to say "I am the Messiah", not "I am Dajjal".
Assuming the quote is complete and accurate, they likely had no reason to believe that they were talking to "The" Antichrist as opposed to any other false Messiah that the Bible would've warned them about.
