Eadweard Muybridge did it in the 1870's using multiple cameras staged along a track to capture the galloping motion of a horse. The cameras' shutters were triggered by threads stretched across the track that the horse would run through.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eadweard_Muybridge
I couldn't say for sure what method was used to capture the Ruth swinging images you are referring to, but I wouldn't rule out a staggered multiple-camera approach as opposed to a single camera opening and closing a single shutter quickly. Photographers could (and still can) be pretty tricky with their methods for coming up with a unique shot. At some point, using something more akin to a motion picture camera and re-assembling multiple frames from the resulting film seems a likely option as well.