I just finished The Marrow of Tradition (will be writing more about it in the Wednesday Reading Meme) and I thought Mammy Jane's eventual fate was well-done. The esteem of a few specific white people (white people of great power and social esteem!) couldn't save her once the lawless mob ran riot, because to the mob she's just like any other black person: just another target.

It's definitely more subtle than my melodramatic "and then the Carterets sent her to the poorhouse!" idea, although I'm not sure where it ultimately falls on the subtle vs. melodrama scale.