STEVENSON, Alabama -- The unusual saga of James Davis, and his four-year bid to keep his wife's grave in his front yard, ended this morning with the court-ordered removal of her coffin and its vault from his Stevenson home.

Davis, 75, said this afternoon that the morning's removal of the grave had been especially difficult for his children, but he's trying to bear the weight of what's taken place for their sake.

"I'm handling this, I don't like this, but I'm going to be able to make it," Davis said. "The Bible says a person will not be given more than he can handle."

Davis remains unhappy with the court action, stressing that he's never broken a law and that he tried to comply with the law in burying his wife, but the city of Stevenson opposed him.

"I want people to know that I got no justice."

Davis had told a Jackson County Circuit Court Wednesday during a hearing that he would abide by the court's March 2012 order to remove the grave.



Davis testified he planned to have Patsy Davis's remains cremated and returned to him. Davis had unsuccessfully appealed the 2012 decision by Circuit Judge Jennifer Holt to a state appeals court and the Alabama Supreme Court said last month it would not take up the case.

The City of Stevenson waged a court battle to disinter Mrs. Davis's remains. Davis's court battle with the small city in Jackson County began in 2009 following the death of his wife of 48 years. He buried her in the front yard of their home, according to her wishes.

The city opposed the effort, citing the appearance of a grave in a downtown yard, the effect on property values and neighbor complaints. City Attorney Parker Edmiston said the home is located on one of the two main streets in Stevenson.

Edmiston said Wednesday he was concerned Davis planned to take the ashes and bury them in the yard. Through his attorney Davis agreed to keep his wife's ashes in his residence, though it is unclear how that would be enforced. Mrs. Davis's grave stone was not part of the removal order and Davis is expected to leave it up in his yard.

Workers hired by Davis through a Scottsboro funeral home began the grim work of removing the casket and burial vault from the yard this morning. A number of Davis family members were on hand to witness the hard-edged end of Davis's fight which had garnered headlines from across the country and beyond.



Davis said today he'd just completed an interview with a reporter from Montreal and had also taken a call from a reporter in Australia this week.

He also stressed that the matter was not over and he's hoping to find an attorney who would "take the case for love of the law."

Updated at 2:45 p.m. to include Davis comments, correct a reference to Mrs. Davis.