To accurately convey the circumstances surrounding the case of Sarah Wildes, the background of her husband, John Wildes, must be understood. He was born in England in 1618 and came to America as a Freeman in 1635 on the HMS Elizabeth with his brother William and his sister Alice. He first settled in Ipswich, Massachutes, but soon moved to Topsfield, north of Salem Village. John married Priscilla Gould, daughter of Zaccheus Gould, in 1645. Zaccheus Gould was the richest, most prominent man in the area at the time, and a cousin of the Putnam clan, a fact that would prove important as time went by. This was a period when the Puritans had governmental control (only ranked members of the Puritan church were allowed to vote), merchants were complaining, and King Charles I was considering changing the charter for Massachusetts allowing all property owners to vote. The church was enraged at the prospect. John Gould, John Wildes' brother-in-law, was a bit vocal about his views and, for whatever reason, was turned in for treason by John Wildes and subsequently hanged. Priscilla died in 1662. John remarried in 1663 to Sarah Averill.

"Old Father Wildes," a nickname John earned for his involvement in Topsfield politcs, he was responsible for surveying the land to establish the boundry between Topsfield and Salem. The survey was a matter of great contention and ultimately came out in Topsfield's favor. Now that John Wildes was no longer a member of the family with the passing of his wife, Priscilla's only surviving sibling had an ax to grind. She was Mary (Gould) Reddington. Wife to John Reddington and next door neighbor to John Wildes. She accused John's wife of witchcraft and spread such rumors as early as 1686. Therefore, Wilde threatened to sue John Reddington for liable as a result of Mary's gossiping if her accusations were not retracted. John Reddington begged him not to as, legally, Reddington would very likely lose everything. John Reddington assured Wildes that no further rumors regarding Sarah and witchcraft would come from Mary. The damage, however, was done.

Wilde had eight children from his first wife Priscilla and only one from Sarah, Ephraim. Ephraim was, as his father, involved with town politics. He held the positions of town treasurer and constable during the period of the conspiracy. In these positions, he was ordered by the Marshall, George Herrick, to arrest Deliverence Hobbs. Deliverence, whether through coersion or not, made a jailhouse confession and implicated Sarah Wildes as a witch. She also accused several of John's children. This opened the door for the power hungry leaders of Salem church to target John and descimate his family. The official complaint was made, of course, by Thomas Putnam.

The trials themselves were a sham. The court was not legally formed or ratified by the government. It was tolerated because the government was tied up dealing with the problem of King Philip's War. It had no time or resources to involve itself in small town politics. The court made its own rules and continued to do so as it went along. Defendants were guilty until proven innocent. Defendants were not allowed legal counsel, and the court allowed the use of Spectral Evidence.

The prime witness in Sarah Wildes' case was Ann Putnam, but, in one case, even her mother, Ann Putnam Sr., was a witness having fits.

By the end of 1692, most of John Wildes' children were accused, and, by order of Marshall Herrick, Constable Ephraim Wilde was the one to arrest them. The Marshall had some pity on Ephraim, however, and spared him from arresting his own mother, which the Marshall took care of himself. Sarah is described in contemporary accounts as "a gruff woman." Many recorded incidents of her aggravating neighbors were used in her prosecution.

Sarah Wildes was hanged on Gallows Hill, July 19, 1692.