The connection between Oxford and "John Freeman" was established by F. B. Smith's 1987 article "Lights and Shadows in the Life of John Freeman". Freeman wrote several letters to Haydon, beginning in 1888 and apparently ceasing on Haydon's death in 1889. Freeman's wife and stepchildren appear to have been totally ignorant that he might be anyone other than John Freeman. Additionally, a photograph of John Freeman taken for the 1888 Centennial Exhibition in Melbourne matches a portrait of Oxford held in the archives of the Bethlem asylum. Freeman's correspondence to Haydon was donated to the National Library in the 1950s by the family. Stevens points out that the former Steward contributed nothing more to Oxford's Broadmoor record about his progress beyond the troubling report published in the newspaper, and never confirmed that Oxford was the author of Freeman's book. This may have been because Haydon was departing Bethlem at the time he began receiving the letters.