 While the troops were helpful, there were never more than three hundred deployed, and they were not a major factor in ending the violence.Hostile Democrats in the General Assembly formed an investigative committee that found Willson guilty of violating the state's constitution by calling out the militia without a formal request by civil authorities.Willson also sent spies to infiltrate the "Night Riders" – an organization of vigilantes who perpetrated much of the violence – and determine which local officials supported them.