The Murder of John and Betty Stam

John Cornelius Stam (January 18, 1907 – December 8, 1934) and Elisabeth Alden "Betty" Stam (née Scott; February 22, 1906 – December 8, 1934) were American Christian missionaries to China, with the China Inland Mission (CIM), during the Chinese Civil War. The missionary couple were murdered by Communist Chinese soldiers in 1934.

Tsingtao (today called Qingdao), a city on the east coast of China, was Betty Stam's childhood home; she (the oldest of five children) grew up there. Betty's father, Charles Scott, was a missionary in Tsingtao. In 1926, Betty returned to the United States to attend college. While a student at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Betty met John Stam who was also a student at Moody. Betty returned to China in 1931. When John arrived in Shanghai in 1932, they unexpectedly met again. They married in 1933.

In November 1934, John and Betty moved to their mission station at Tsingteh (not to be confused with Tsingtao) (Tsingteh is today called Jingde) in Anhui Province, with their 3-month-old daughter, Helen. On December 6, a messenger from the town's magistrate came to the Stams at 8 o'clock AM and warned them that the Communists were approaching the city. At 9:30, they received a message that the Communists were within four miles of the city. After John confirmed this, the Stams prepared to leave. However, the Communists quickly overran the city and came to where the Stams were staying and broke open the gates to the compound. They demanded all the money the Stams had; and it was handed over. The Communists then arrested John and took him to the city prison. They left Betty, baby Helen, the maid and the cook in the Stams' house. The soldiers later came back and took Betty and Helen. The maid and cook begged to go along, but they were threatened they would be shot if they did. Betty and Helen were taken to be with John in the prison. It was still the morning of December 6. That night, John Stam wrote a letter to CIM authorities, but it was never delivered. The letter was found later bundled up in some of Helen's clothes. It stated that the Stams were being held by the Communists for a ransom of $20,000. John Stam also wrote to the mission authorities of how he and his wife had been captured, then wrote, "Philippians 1:20: 'May Christ be glorified whether by life or death.'"

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