Around 1889, Ada Curnutt, a Methodist minister’s daughter, moved to Norman, Oklahoma, where she worked as Clerk of Court. But life behind a desk didn’t suit her. She asked to become a Deputy U.S. Marshal and was denied. Not only was she a woman, she was slender and demure, but also bold. So one day, when no other lawmen were around to capture a criminal nearby, Curnutt got her chance. True to her values, she refused to carry a gun. In 1893, Curnutt arrested no fewer than 19 outlaws with wits and guts alone. She retired in 1897.